diff --git a/custom/conf/app.ini.sample b/custom/conf/app.ini.sample
index e4e791d4a..c08dd62e7 100644
--- a/custom/conf/app.ini.sample
+++ b/custom/conf/app.ini.sample
@@ -436,6 +436,10 @@ ALLOW_ONLY_EXTERNAL_REGISTRATION = false
 REQUIRE_SIGNIN_VIEW = false
 ; Mail notification
 ENABLE_NOTIFY_MAIL = false
+; This setting enables gitea to be signed in with HTTP BASIC Authentication using the user's password
+; If you set this to false you will not be able to access the tokens endpoints on the API with your password
+; Please note that setting this to false will not disable OAuth Basic or Basic authentication using a token
+ENABLE_BASIC_AUTHENTICATION = true
 ; More detail: https://github.com/gogits/gogs/issues/165
 ENABLE_REVERSE_PROXY_AUTHENTICATION = false
 ENABLE_REVERSE_PROXY_AUTO_REGISTRATION = false
@@ -866,6 +870,6 @@ TOKEN =
 QUEUE_TYPE = channel
 ; Task queue length, available only when `QUEUE_TYPE` is `channel`.
 QUEUE_LENGTH = 1000
-; Task queue connction string, available only when `QUEUE_TYPE` is `redis`. 
+; Task queue connction string, available only when `QUEUE_TYPE` is `redis`.
 ; If there is a password of redis, use `addrs=127.0.0.1:6379 password=123 db=0`.
 QUEUE_CONN_STR = "addrs=127.0.0.1:6379 db=0"
diff --git a/docs/content/doc/advanced/config-cheat-sheet.en-us.md b/docs/content/doc/advanced/config-cheat-sheet.en-us.md
index 0df88c23e..678f8df23 100644
--- a/docs/content/doc/advanced/config-cheat-sheet.en-us.md
+++ b/docs/content/doc/advanced/config-cheat-sheet.en-us.md
@@ -265,6 +265,10 @@ Values containing `#` or `;` must be quoted using `` ` `` or `"""`.
 - `REQUIRE_SIGNIN_VIEW`: **false**: Enable this to force users to log in to view any page.
 - `ENABLE_NOTIFY_MAIL`: **false**: Enable this to send e-mail to watchers of a repository when
    something happens, like creating issues. Requires `Mailer` to be enabled.
+- `ENABLE_BASIC_AUTHENTICATION`: **true**: Disable this to disallow authenticaton using HTTP
+   BASIC and the user's password. Please note if you disable this you will not be able to access the
+   tokens API endpoints using a password. Further, this only disables BASIC authentication using the
+   password - not tokens or OAuth Basic.
 - `ENABLE_REVERSE_PROXY_AUTHENTICATION`: **false**: Enable this to allow reverse proxy authentication.
 - `ENABLE_REVERSE_PROXY_AUTO_REGISTRATION`: **false**: Enable this to allow auto-registration
    for reverse authentication.
diff --git a/modules/auth/auth.go b/modules/auth/auth.go
index 624bb15cb..1ba149f0f 100644
--- a/modules/auth/auth.go
+++ b/modules/auth/auth.go
@@ -224,6 +224,9 @@ func SignedInUser(ctx *macaron.Context, sess session.Store) (*models.User, bool)
 			}
 
 			if u == nil {
+				if !setting.Service.EnableBasicAuth {
+					return nil, false
+				}
 				u, err = models.UserSignIn(uname, passwd)
 				if err != nil {
 					if !models.IsErrUserNotExist(err) {
diff --git a/modules/setting/service.go b/modules/setting/service.go
index 905b1326f..dea4081ee 100644
--- a/modules/setting/service.go
+++ b/modules/setting/service.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ var Service struct {
 	ShowRegistrationButton                  bool
 	RequireSignInView                       bool
 	EnableNotifyMail                        bool
+	EnableBasicAuth                         bool
 	EnableReverseProxyAuth                  bool
 	EnableReverseProxyAutoRegister          bool
 	EnableReverseProxyEmail                 bool
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@ func newService() {
 	Service.EmailDomainWhitelist = sec.Key("EMAIL_DOMAIN_WHITELIST").Strings(",")
 	Service.ShowRegistrationButton = sec.Key("SHOW_REGISTRATION_BUTTON").MustBool(!(Service.DisableRegistration || Service.AllowOnlyExternalRegistration))
 	Service.RequireSignInView = sec.Key("REQUIRE_SIGNIN_VIEW").MustBool()
+	Service.EnableBasicAuth = sec.Key("ENABLE_BASIC_AUTHENTICATION").MustBool(true)
 	Service.EnableReverseProxyAuth = sec.Key("ENABLE_REVERSE_PROXY_AUTHENTICATION").MustBool()
 	Service.EnableReverseProxyAutoRegister = sec.Key("ENABLE_REVERSE_PROXY_AUTO_REGISTRATION").MustBool()
 	Service.EnableReverseProxyEmail = sec.Key("ENABLE_REVERSE_PROXY_EMAIL").MustBool()