diff --git a/salt/auth/__init__.py b/salt/auth/__init__.py
index e4396ff7e720..ae6c3de8761e 100644
--- a/salt/auth/__init__.py
+++ b/salt/auth/__init__.py
@@ -136,13 +136,24 @@ def get_groups(self, load):
         except Exception:
             return None
 
-    def mk_token(self, load):
+    def mk_unauth_token(self, load):
+        '''
+        Get an unauthenticated token (for example when authentication is
+        taken care of by a frontal sur as nginx or apache that proxies
+        to salt-api). Use with caution.
+        '''
+        # TODO check config allows this 
+        return self.mk_token(load, auth=False)
+
+
+    def mk_token(self, load, auth=True):
         '''
         Run time_auth and create a token. Return False or the token
         '''
-        ret = self.time_auth(load)
-        if ret is False:
-            return {}
+        if auth: # and config.get (allow token with no auth, or pick from rest_cherrypy:trust_remote_user = True
+            ret = self.time_auth(load)
+            if ret is False:
+                return {}
         fstr = '{0}.auth'.format(load['eauth'])
         hash_type = getattr(hashlib, self.opts.get('hash_type', 'md5'))
         tok = str(hash_type(os.urandom(512)).hexdigest())
@@ -407,11 +418,17 @@ def token_cli(self, eauth, load):
             os.umask(oldmask)
         return tdata
 
-    def mk_token(self, load):
+    def mk_unauth_token(self, load):
+        return self.mk_token(load, auth=False)
+
+    def mk_token(self, load, auth=True):
         '''
         Request a token from the master
         '''
-        load['cmd'] = 'mk_token'
+        if auth: # TODO more checks
+            load['cmd'] = 'mk_token'
+        else:
+            load['cmd'] = 'mk_unauth_token'
         tdata = self._send_token_request(load)
         return tdata
 
diff --git a/salt/auth/kerberos.py b/salt/auth/kerberos.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..12a0689c9ede
--- /dev/null
+++ b/salt/auth/kerberos.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+'''
+Provide authentication using Kerberos by trusting webapp. 
+
+This is a placeholder auth module that does not authenticate with kerberos
+
+.. versionadded:: TODO
+'''
+
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+import logging
+
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def auth(username, **kwargs):
+    '''
+    Refuse authentication always. This gives the opportunity to use
+    the Remote User mecanism in salt-api
+
+    This prevents a local user from bypassing authorisation 
+
+    TOOD : link to documentation about how to enable X-Remote-User in salt-api
+
+    '''
+    log.debug('returning False for kerberos trusted auth')
+    return False
+    
diff --git a/salt/master.py b/salt/master.py
index 90a487a2ab60..15eddb27756c 100644
--- a/salt/master.py
+++ b/salt/master.py
@@ -2096,6 +2096,9 @@ def wheel(self, clear_load):
                                    args=exc.args,
                                    message=str(exc)))
 
+    def mk_unauth_token(self, clear_load):
+        return self.loadauth.mk_unauth_token(clear_load)
+
     def mk_token(self, clear_load):
         '''
         Create and return an authentication token, the clear load needs to
diff --git a/salt/netapi/rest_cherrypy/app.py b/salt/netapi/rest_cherrypy/app.py
index 5931dbd93b72..2398f66af76a 100644
--- a/salt/netapi/rest_cherrypy/app.py
+++ b/salt/netapi/rest_cherrypy/app.py
@@ -99,6 +99,18 @@
     root_prefix : ``/``
         A URL path to the main entry point for the application. This is useful
         for serving multiple applications from the same URL.
+    authorized_ips
+        A list of IPs to restrict the authorized IPs that can connect to your 
+        salt-api
+    trust_remote_user: ``False``
+        Puts the salt-api in "trust" mode, where it will trust the remote header 
+        set by the frontal which handles the authentication. This is a common
+        pattern in web applications, see 
+        `django documentation <https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.8/howto/auth-remote-user/>`_
+        about this. USE WITH CAUTION. This requires to make sure the frontal
+        is doing the authentication and that you are only listenning to localhost
+        and that no users ca request salt-api directly (for example from the 
+        server it is running on). Also set authorized_ips to 127.0.0.1. 
 
 .. _rest_cherrypy-auth:
 
@@ -1415,7 +1427,13 @@ def POST(self, **kwargs):
         else:
             creds = cherrypy.serving.request.lowstate
 
-        token = self.auth.mk_token(creds)
+        auth=True
+        logger.debug('HEADER {0}'.format(cherrypy.serving.request.headers))
+        if cherrypy.config.get('saltopts', {}).get('rest_cherrypy', {}).get('trust_remote_user', False):
+            if cherrypy.serving.request.headers.get('X-Remote-User', '') == creds['username']:
+                logger.debug('X-Remote-User is {0}, trusting frontal'.format(creds['username']))
+                auth = False
+        token = self.auth.mk_token(creds, auth=auth)
         if 'token' not in token:
             raise cherrypy.HTTPError(401,
                     'Could not authenticate using provided credentials')