diff --git a/frappe/api.py b/frappe/api.py
index 6a09b795b0..4a120f228a 100644
--- a/frappe/api.py
+++ b/frappe/api.py
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2015, Frappe Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Contributors
 # MIT License. See license.txt
-from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
 import base64
 import binascii
 import json
-
-from six.moves.urllib.parse import urlencode, urlparse
+from urllib.parse import urlencode, urlparse
 
 import frappe
 import frappe.client
@@ -14,6 +12,7 @@ import frappe.handler
 from frappe import _
 from frappe.utils.response import build_response
 
+
 def handle():
 	"""
 	Handler for `/api` methods
@@ -38,9 +37,6 @@ def handle():
 	`/api/resource/{doctype}/{name}?run_method={method}` will run a whitelisted controller method
 	"""
 
-
-	validate_auth()
-
 	parts = frappe.request.path[1:].split("/",3)
 	call = doctype = name = None
 
@@ -116,7 +112,7 @@ def handle():
 						frappe.local.form_dict['fields'] = json.loads(frappe.local.form_dict['fields'])
 					frappe.local.form_dict.setdefault('limit_page_length', 20)
 					frappe.local.response.update({
-						"data":  frappe.call(
+						"data": frappe.call(
 							frappe.client.get_list,
 							doctype,
 							**frappe.local.form_dict
@@ -140,6 +136,7 @@ def handle():
 
 	return build_response("json")
 
+
 def get_request_form_data():
 	if frappe.local.form_dict.data is None:
 		data = frappe.safe_decode(frappe.local.request.get_data())
@@ -148,25 +145,18 @@ def get_request_form_data():
 
 	return frappe.parse_json(data)
 
+
 def validate_auth():
-	if frappe.get_request_header("Authorization") is None:
-		return
-
-	VALID_AUTH_PREFIX_TYPES = ['basic', 'bearer', 'token']
-	VALID_AUTH_PREFIX_STRING = ", ".join(VALID_AUTH_PREFIX_TYPES).title()
-
+	"""
+	Authenticate and sets user for the request.
+	"""
 	authorization_header = frappe.get_request_header("Authorization", str()).split(" ")
-	authorization_type = authorization_header[0].lower()
 
-	if len(authorization_header) == 1:
-		frappe.throw(_('Invalid Authorization headers, add a token with a prefix from one of the following: {0}.').format(VALID_AUTH_PREFIX_STRING), frappe.InvalidAuthorizationHeader)
-
-	if authorization_type == "bearer":
+	if len(authorization_header) == 2:
 		validate_oauth(authorization_header)
-	elif authorization_type in VALID_AUTH_PREFIX_TYPES:
 		validate_auth_via_api_keys(authorization_header)
-	else:
-		frappe.throw(_('Invalid Authorization Type {0}, must be one of {1}.').format(authorization_type, VALID_AUTH_PREFIX_STRING), frappe.InvalidAuthorizationPrefix)
+
+	validate_auth_via_hooks()
 
 
 def validate_oauth(authorization_header):
@@ -177,8 +167,8 @@ def validate_oauth(authorization_header):
 		authorization_header (list of str): The 'Authorization' header containing the prefix and token
 	"""
 
-	from frappe.oauth import get_url_delimiter
 	from frappe.integrations.oauth2 import get_oauth_server
+	from frappe.oauth import get_url_delimiter
 
 	form_dict = frappe.local.form_dict
 	token = authorization_header[1]
@@ -192,14 +182,13 @@ def validate_oauth(authorization_header):
 
 	try:
 		required_scopes = frappe.db.get_value("OAuth Bearer Token", token, "scopes").split(get_url_delimiter())
+		valid, oauthlib_request = get_oauth_server().verify_request(uri, http_method, body, headers, required_scopes)
+		if valid:
+			frappe.set_user(frappe.db.get_value("OAuth Bearer Token", token, "user"))
+			frappe.local.form_dict = form_dict
 	except AttributeError:
-		frappe.throw(_("Invalid Bearer token, please provide a valid access token with prefix 'Bearer'."), frappe.InvalidAuthorizationToken)
+		pass
 
-	valid, oauthlib_request = get_oauth_server().verify_request(uri, http_method, body, headers, required_scopes)
-
-	if valid:
-		frappe.set_user(frappe.db.get_value("OAuth Bearer Token", token, "user"))
-		frappe.local.form_dict = form_dict
 
 
 def validate_auth_via_api_keys(authorization_header):
@@ -222,8 +211,7 @@ def validate_auth_via_api_keys(authorization_header):
 	except binascii.Error:
 		frappe.throw(_("Failed to decode token, please provide a valid base64-encoded token."), frappe.InvalidAuthorizationToken)
 	except (AttributeError, TypeError, ValueError):
-		frappe.throw(_("Invalid token, please provide a valid token with prefix 'Basic' or 'Token'."), frappe.InvalidAuthorizationToken)
-
+		pass
 
 
 def validate_api_key_secret(api_key, api_secret, frappe_authorization_source=None):
@@ -248,3 +236,8 @@ def validate_api_key_secret(api_key, api_secret, frappe_authorization_source=Non
 		if frappe.local.login_manager.user in ('', 'Guest'):
 			frappe.set_user(user)
 		frappe.local.form_dict = form_dict
+
+
+def validate_auth_via_hooks():
+	for auth_hook in frappe.get_hooks('auth_hooks', []):
+		frappe.get_attr(auth_hook)()
diff --git a/frappe/app.py b/frappe/app.py
index 607479ad52..c9e993a853 100644
--- a/frappe/app.py
+++ b/frappe/app.py
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ def application(request):
 		frappe.recorder.record()
 		frappe.monitor.start()
 		frappe.rate_limiter.apply()
+		frappe.api.validate_auth()
 
 		if request.method == "OPTIONS":
 			response = Response()
diff --git a/frappe/handler.py b/frappe/handler.py
index 82c1ea65c6..a38feb90fa 100755
--- a/frappe/handler.py
+++ b/frappe/handler.py
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import frappe
 import frappe.utils
 import frappe.sessions
 from frappe.utils import cint
-from frappe.api import validate_auth
 from frappe import _, is_whitelisted
 from frappe.utils.response import build_response
 from frappe.utils.csvutils import build_csv_response
@@ -24,7 +23,7 @@ ALLOWED_MIMETYPES = ('image/png', 'image/jpeg', 'application/pdf', 'application/
 
 def handle():
 	"""handle request"""
-	validate_auth()
+
 	cmd = frappe.local.form_dict.cmd
 	data = None
 
diff --git a/frappe/utils/boilerplate.py b/frappe/utils/boilerplate.py
index 80eda0af13..f54482e7f2 100755
--- a/frappe/utils/boilerplate.py
+++ b/frappe/utils/boilerplate.py
@@ -312,6 +312,13 @@ user_data_fields = [
 	}}
 ]
 
+# Authentication and authorization
+# --------------------------------
+
+# auth_hooks = [
+# 	"{app_name}.auth.validate"
+# ]
+
 """
 
 desktop_template = """# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-