diff --git a/src/Security/BasicAuth.php b/src/Security/BasicAuth.php
index 18564d289e..2f47a93378 100644
--- a/src/Security/BasicAuth.php
+++ b/src/Security/BasicAuth.php
@@ -21,8 +21,15 @@
 
 namespace Friendica\Security;
 
+use Exception;
+use Friendica\Core\Hook;
+use Friendica\Core\Logger;
+use Friendica\Core\Session;
 use Friendica\Database\DBA;
 use Friendica\DI;
+use Friendica\Model\User;
+use Friendica\Network\HTTPException\UnauthorizedException;
+use Friendica\Util\DateTimeFormat;
 
 /**
  * Authentification via the basic auth method
@@ -49,9 +56,7 @@ class BasicAuth
 	public static function getCurrentUserID(bool $login)
 	{
 		if (empty(self::$current_user_id)) {
-			api_login(DI::app(), $login);
-
-			self::$current_user_id = api_user();
+			self::$current_user_id = self::getUserIdByAuth($login);
 		}
 
 		return (int)self::$current_user_id;
@@ -85,4 +90,90 @@ class BasicAuth
 
 		return self::$current_token;
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Fetch the user id via the auth header information
+	 *
+	 * @param boolean $do_login Perform a login request if not logged in
+	 *
+	 * @return integer User ID
+	 */
+	private static function getUserIdByAuth(bool $do_login = true):int
+	{
+		$a = DI::app();
+		Session::set('allow_api', false);
+		self::$current_user_id = 0;
+
+		// workaround for HTTP-auth in CGI mode
+		if (!empty($_SERVER['REDIRECT_REMOTE_USER'])) {
+			$userpass = base64_decode(substr($_SERVER["REDIRECT_REMOTE_USER"], 6));
+			if (strlen($userpass)) {
+				list($name, $password) = explode(':', $userpass);
+				$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] = $name;
+				$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW'] = $password;
+			}
+		}
+
+		$user = $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] ?? '';
+		$password = $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW'] ?? '';
+	
+		// allow "user@server" login (but ignore 'server' part)
+		$at = strstr($user, "@", true);
+		if ($at) {
+			$user = $at;
+		}
+	
+		// next code from mod/auth.php. needs better solution
+		$record = null;
+	
+		$addon_auth = [
+			'username' => trim($user),
+			'password' => trim($password),
+			'authenticated' => 0,
+			'user_record' => null,
+		];
+	
+		/*
+		* An addon indicates successful login by setting 'authenticated' to non-zero value and returning a user record
+		* Addons should never set 'authenticated' except to indicate success - as hooks may be chained
+		* and later addons should not interfere with an earlier one that succeeded.
+		*/
+		Hook::callAll('authenticate', $addon_auth);
+	
+		if ($addon_auth['authenticated'] && !empty($addon_auth['user_record'])) {
+			$record = $addon_auth['user_record'];
+		} else {
+			try {
+				$user_id = User::getIdFromPasswordAuthentication(trim($user), trim($password), true);
+				$record = DBA::selectFirst('user', [], ['uid' => $user_id]);
+			} catch (Exception $ex) {
+				$record = [];
+			}			
+		}
+	
+		if (empty($record)) {
+			if (!$do_login) {
+				return 0;
+			}
+			Logger::debug('failed', ['module' => 'api', 'action' => 'login', 'parameters' => $_SERVER]);
+			header('WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="Friendica"');
+			throw new UnauthorizedException("This API requires login");
+		}
+	
+		// Don't refresh the login date more often than twice a day to spare database writes
+		$login_refresh = strcmp(DateTimeFormat::utc('now - 12 hours'), $record['login_date']) > 0;
+	
+		DI::auth()->setForUser($a, $record, false, false, $login_refresh);
+	
+		Session::set('allow_api', true);
+	
+		Hook::callAll('logged_in', $a->user);
+	
+		if (Session::get('allow_api')) {
+			self::$current_user_id = local_user();
+		} else {
+			self::$current_user_id = 0;
+		}
+		return self::$current_user_id;
+	}	
 }