diff --git a/docs/index.md b/docs/index.md
index b9ec905f..f6969176 100644
--- a/docs/index.md
+++ b/docs/index.md
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ For instance, in my case, I could tell my domain name registrar that `ns1.box.oc
 
 Optionally, to activate DNSSEC, you'll need to get a DS record from the box. While logged in on the box, run:
 
-	curl http://localhost:10222/dns/ds
+	sudo bash -c 'curl --user $(</var/lib/mailinabox/api.key): http://localhost:10222/dns/ds'
 
 This will print DS records for the domains that your box thinks it is the authoritative name server for. Copy the DS record and follow the DS record instructions provided by your domain name registrar.
 
diff --git a/management/auth.py b/management/auth.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..80c9fcb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/management/auth.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import base64, os, os.path
+
+from flask import make_response
+
+DEFAULT_KEY_PATH   = '/var/lib/mailinabox/api.key'
+DEFAULT_AUTH_REALM = 'Mail-in-a-Box Management Server'
+
+class KeyAuthService:
+	"""Generate an API key for authenticating clients
+
+	Clients must read the key from the key file and send the key with all HTTP
+	requests. The key is passed as the username field in the standard HTTP
+	Basic Auth header.
+	"""
+	def __init__(self):
+		self.auth_realm = DEFAULT_AUTH_REALM
+		self.key = self._generate_key()
+		self.key_path = DEFAULT_KEY_PATH
+
+	def write_key(self):
+		"""Write key to file so authorized clients can get the key
+
+		The key file is created with mode 0640 so that additional users can be
+		authorized to access the API by granting group/ACL read permissions on
+		the key file.
+		"""
+		def create_file_with_mode(path, mode):
+			# Based on answer by A-B-B: http://stackoverflow.com/a/15015748
+			old_umask = os.umask(0)
+			try:
+				return os.fdopen(os.open(path, os.O_WRONLY | os.O_CREAT, mode), 'w')
+			finally:
+				os.umask(old_umask)
+
+		os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(self.key_path), exist_ok=True)
+
+		with create_file_with_mode(self.key_path, 0o640) as key_file:
+			key_file.write(self.key + '\n')
+
+	def is_authenticated(self, request):
+		"""Test if the client key passed in HTTP header matches the service key"""
+
+		def decode(s):
+			return base64.b64decode(s.encode('utf-8')).decode('ascii')
+
+		def parse_api_key(header):
+			if header is None:
+				return
+
+			scheme, credentials = header.split(maxsplit=1)
+			if scheme != 'Basic':
+				return
+
+			username, password = decode(credentials).split(':', maxsplit=1)
+			return username
+
+		request_key = parse_api_key(request.headers.get('Authorization'))
+
+		return request_key == self.key
+
+	def make_unauthorized_response(self):
+		return make_response(
+			'You must pass the API key from "{0}" as the username\n'.format(self.key_path),
+			401,
+			{ 'WWW-Authenticate': 'Basic realm="{0}"'.format(self.auth_realm) })
+
+	def _generate_key(self):
+		raw_key = os.urandom(32)
+		return base64.b64encode(raw_key).decode('ascii')
diff --git a/management/daemon.py b/management/daemon.py
index 762076e1..4b302566 100755
--- a/management/daemon.py
+++ b/management/daemon.py
@@ -2,14 +2,25 @@
 
 import os, os.path, re
 
-from flask import Flask, request, render_template
+from flask import Flask, request, render_template, abort
 app = Flask(__name__)
 
-import utils
+import auth, utils
 from mailconfig import get_mail_users, add_mail_user, set_mail_password, remove_mail_user, get_mail_aliases, get_mail_domains, add_mail_alias, remove_mail_alias
 
 env = utils.load_environment()
 
+auth_service = auth.KeyAuthService()
+
+@app.before_request
+def require_auth_key():
+	if not auth_service.is_authenticated(request):
+		abort(401)
+
+@app.errorhandler(401)
+def unauthorized(error):
+	return auth_service.make_unauthorized_response()
+
 @app.route('/')
 def index():
     return render_template('index.html')
@@ -101,4 +112,13 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
 	if not app.debug:
 		app.logger.addHandler(utils.create_syslog_handler())
 
+	# For testing on the command line, you can use `curl` like so:
+	#    curl --user $(</var/lib/mailinabox/api.key): http://localhost:10222/mail/users
+	auth_service.write_key()
+
+	# For testing in the browser, you can copy the API key that's output to the
+	# debug console and enter that as the username
+	app.logger.info('API key: ' + auth_service.key)
+
 	app.run(port=10222)
+
diff --git a/setup/dns.sh b/setup/dns.sh
index 770e1604..55528a0a 100644
--- a/setup/dns.sh
+++ b/setup/dns.sh
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ cat > /etc/cron.daily/mailinabox-dnssec << EOF;
 #!/bin/bash
 # Mail-in-a-Box
 # Re-sign any DNS zones with DNSSEC because the signatures expire periodically.
-curl -d GO http://localhost:10222/dns/update
+curl -d GO --user \$(</var/lib/mailinabox/api.key): http://localhost:10222/dns/update
 EOF
 chmod +x /etc/cron.daily/mailinabox-dnssec
 
diff --git a/setup/start.sh b/setup/start.sh
index a8d30025..fd55dafd 100755
--- a/setup/start.sh
+++ b/setup/start.sh
@@ -133,8 +133,8 @@ EOF
 
 # Write the DNS and nginx configuration files.
 sleep 5 # wait for the daemon to start
-curl -s -d POSTDATA http://127.0.0.1:10222/dns/update
-curl -s -d POSTDATA http://127.0.0.1:10222/web/update
+curl -s -d POSTDATA --user $(</var/lib/mailinabox/api.key): http://127.0.0.1:10222/dns/update
+curl -s -d POSTDATA --user $(</var/lib/mailinabox/api.key): http://127.0.0.1:10222/web/update
 
 # If there aren't any mail users yet, create one.
 if [ -z "`tools/mail.py user`" ]; then
diff --git a/tools/mail.py b/tools/mail.py
index 688fac44..0b4e4491 100755
--- a/tools/mail.py
+++ b/tools/mail.py
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@
 import sys, getpass, urllib.request, urllib.error
 
 def mgmt(cmd, data=None):
-	req = urllib.request.Request('http://localhost:10222' + cmd, urllib.parse.urlencode(data).encode("utf8") if data else None)
+	mgmt_uri = 'http://localhost:10222'
+
+	setup_key_auth(mgmt_uri)
+
+	req = urllib.request.Request(mgmt_uri + cmd, urllib.parse.urlencode(data).encode("utf8") if data else None)
 	try:
 		response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)
 	except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
@@ -20,6 +24,18 @@ def read_password():
 		second = getpass.getpass(' (again): ')
 	return first
 
+def setup_key_auth(mgmt_uri):
+	key = open('/var/lib/mailinabox/api.key').read().strip()
+
+	auth_handler = urllib.request.HTTPBasicAuthHandler()
+	auth_handler.add_password(
+		realm='Mail-in-a-Box Management Server',
+		uri=mgmt_uri,
+		user=key,
+		passwd='')
+	opener = urllib.request.build_opener(auth_handler)
+	urllib.request.install_opener(opener)
+
 if len(sys.argv) < 2:
 	print("Usage: ")
 	print("  tools/mail.py user  (lists users)")