diff --git a/embark-ui/src/containers/AppContainer.js b/embark-ui/src/containers/AppContainer.js
index b7b354ae..ce80f5e3 100644
--- a/embark-ui/src/containers/AppContainer.js
+++ b/embark-ui/src/containers/AppContainer.js
@@ -22,8 +22,7 @@ class AppContainer extends Component {
     this.state = {
       authenticateError: null
     };
-  }
-  componentDidMount() {
+
     let token;
     if (this.props.location.search) {
       token = queryString.parse(this.props.location.search).token;
@@ -37,6 +36,8 @@ class AppContainer extends Component {
       }
       this.setState({authenticateError: null});
     });
+  }
+  componentDidMount() {
     this.props.initBlockHeader();
     this.props.fetchProcesses();
     this.props.fetchVersions();
diff --git a/embark-ui/src/sagas/index.js b/embark-ui/src/sagas/index.js
index f0b860b2..48580706 100644
--- a/embark-ui/src/sagas/index.js
+++ b/embark-ui/src/sagas/index.js
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ export const fetchFile = doRequest.bind(null, actions.file, api.fetchFile);
 export const postFile = doRequest.bind(null, actions.saveFile, api.postFile);
 export const deleteFile = doRequest.bind(null, actions.removeFile, api.deleteFile);
 export const fetchEthGas = doRequest.bind(null, actions.gasOracle, api.getEthGasAPI);
-export const authenticate = doRequest.bind(null, actions.authenticate, api.authenticate);
+export const authenticate = doRequest.bind(null, actions.authenticate, api.authorize);
 
 export const fetchCurrentFile = doRequest.bind(null, actions.currentFile, storage.fetchCurrentFile);
 export const postCurrentFile = doRequest.bind(null, actions.saveCurrentFile, storage.postCurrentFile);
diff --git a/embark-ui/src/services/api.js b/embark-ui/src/services/api.js
index 7bc64365..c4de0403 100644
--- a/embark-ui/src/services/api.js
+++ b/embark-ui/src/services/api.js
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import axios from "axios";
 import constants from '../constants';
+import {get as cacheGet} from '../services/cache';
 
 function get(path, params = {}, endpoint) {
+  axios.defaults.headers.common['Authorization'] = cacheGet('token');
   const callback = params.callback || function(){};
   return axios.get((endpoint || constants.httpEndpoint) + path, params)
     .then((response) => {
@@ -16,6 +18,7 @@ function get(path, params = {}, endpoint) {
 }
 
 function post(path, params = {}) {
+  axios.defaults.headers.common['Authorization'] = cacheGet('token');
   const callback = params.callback || function(){};
   delete params.callback;
   return axios.post(constants.httpEndpoint + path, params)
@@ -32,6 +35,7 @@ function post(path, params = {}) {
 }
 
 function destroy(path, params = {}) {
+  axios.defaults.headers.common['Authorization'] = cacheGet('token');
   const callback = params.callback || function(){};
   return axios.delete(constants.httpEndpoint + path, params)
     .then((response) => {
@@ -154,8 +158,8 @@ export function deleteFile(payload) {
   return destroy('/file', {params: payload});
 }
 
-export function authenticate(payload) {
-  return post('/authenticate', payload);
+export function authorize(payload) {
+  return post('/authorize', payload);
 }
 
 export function listenToChannel(channel) {
diff --git a/lib/modules/authenticator/index.js b/lib/modules/authenticator/index.js
index b68d2491..45fdf2b7 100644
--- a/lib/modules/authenticator/index.js
+++ b/lib/modules/authenticator/index.js
@@ -1,29 +1,28 @@
 const uuid = require('uuid/v1');
 
-class Authenticator {
+const ERROR_OBJ = {error: __('Wrong authentication token. Get your token from the Embark console by typing `token`')};
 
+class Authenticator {
   constructor(embark, _options) {
     this.authToken = uuid();
     this.embark = embark;
     this.logger = embark.logger;
+    this.events = embark.events;
 
     this.registerCalls();
-    embark.events.once('outputDone', () => {
-      embark.logger.info(__('Access the web backend with the following url: %s',
-        ('http://localhost:8000/embark?token=' + this.authToken).underline));
-    });
+    this.registerEvents();
   }
 
   registerCalls() {
     this.embark.registerAPICall(
       'post',
-      '/embark-api/authenticate',
+      '/embark-api/authorize',
       (req, res) => {
         if (req.body.token !== this.authToken) {
-          this.logger.warn(__('Someone tried and failed to authenticate to the backend'));
+          this.logger.warn(__('Someone tried and failed to authorize to the backend'));
           this.logger.warn(__('- User-Agent: %s', req.headers['user-agent']));
           this.logger.warn(__('- Referer: %s', req.headers.referer));
-          return res.send({error: __('Wrong authentication token. Get your token from the Embark console by typing `token`')});
+          return res.send(ERROR_OBJ);
         }
         res.send();
       }
@@ -38,6 +37,20 @@ class Authenticator {
       };
     });
   }
+
+  registerEvents() {
+    this.events.once('outputDone', () => {
+      this.logger.info(__('Access the web backend with the following url: %s',
+        ('http://localhost:8000/embark?token=' + this.authToken).underline));
+    });
+
+    this.events.setCommandHandler('api:authorize', (token, cb) => {
+      if (token !== this.authToken) {
+        return cb(ERROR_OBJ);
+      }
+      cb();
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 module.exports = Authenticator;
diff --git a/lib/modules/webserver/server.js b/lib/modules/webserver/server.js
index 90bad893..5d089d23 100644
--- a/lib/modules/webserver/server.js
+++ b/lib/modules/webserver/server.js
@@ -49,13 +49,13 @@ class Server {
 
       for (let apiCall of apiCalls) {
         console.dir("adding " + apiCall.method + " " + apiCall.endpoint);
-        app[apiCall.method].apply(app, [apiCall.endpoint, apiCall.cb]);
+        app[apiCall.method].apply(app, [apiCall.endpoint, this.applyAPIFunction.bind(this, apiCall.cb)]);
       }
     }
 
     this.events.on('plugins:register:api', (apiCall) => {
       console.dir("adding " + apiCall.method + " " + apiCall.endpoint);
-      app[apiCall.method].apply(app, [apiCall.endpoint, apiCall.cb]);
+      app[apiCall.method].apply(app, [apiCall.endpoint, this.applyAPIFunction.bind(this, apiCall.cb)]);
     });
 
     app.get('/embark/*', function(req, res) {
@@ -78,6 +78,16 @@ class Server {
         ":" + this.port).bold.underline.green);
   }
 
+   applyAPIFunction (cb, req, res) {
+    this.events.request('api:authorize', req.headers.authorization, (err) => {
+      if (err) {
+        const send = res.send ? res.send.bind(res) : req.send.bind(req); // WS only has the first params
+        return send(err);
+      }
+      cb(req, res);
+    });
+  }
+
   stop(callback) {
     callback = callback || function () {};
     if (!this.server || !this.server.listening) {