diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index f0c281fa..c2346251 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@
         'jwcrypto',
         'redis',
         ],
+      extras_requires={
+        'libpass': ['libpass'],
+        'bcrypt': ['bcrypt']
+      },
       zip_safe=False,
       entry_points={
         'console_scripts': [
diff --git a/test-requirements.txt b/test-requirements.txt
index 4eeff976..b58679fd 100644
--- a/test-requirements.txt
+++ b/test-requirements.txt
@@ -3,3 +3,5 @@ nose2
 six
 redis
 wrapt<=1.12.1;python_version<="3.4"
+libpass;python_versions>="3.8"
+bcrypt;python_versions>="3.8"
diff --git a/tests/test_auth_plugins.py b/tests/test_auth_plugins.py
index 4b3bfb5c..4dd86d1e 100644
--- a/tests/test_auth_plugins.py
+++ b/tests/test_auth_plugins.py
@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@
 
 """ Unit tests for Authentication plugins"""
 
-from websockify.auth_plugins import BasicHTTPAuth, AuthenticationError
+from websockify.auth_plugins import BasicHTTPAuth, HtpasswdAuth, AuthenticationError
 import unittest
+import tempfile
 
 
 class BasicHTTPAuthTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -26,3 +27,46 @@ def test_valid_password(self):
     def test_garbage_auth(self):
         headers = {'Authorization': 'Basic xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'}
         self.assertRaises(AuthenticationError, self.plugin.authenticate, headers, 'localhost', '1234')
+
+try:
+    import passlib
+    PASSLIB_AVAILABLE = True
+except ImportError:
+    PASSLIB_AVAILABLE = False
+
+@unittest.skipUnless(PASSLIB_AVAILABLE, "passlib package is not available")
+class HtpasswdAuthTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
+    
+    def setUp(self):
+        self._temporary_htpasswd_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False)
+
+        #file generated with `htpasswd -c5i test_auth_plugins.htpasswd Genie <<<"""let's make some Magic!"""; htpasswd -Bi test_auth_plugins.htpasswd Aladdin <<<"""open sesame"""`
+        file_content = 'Genie:$6$5EsSBArrdAYDSe.j$v9mqxcSfPQgrM7btHx5wysZ28a1gei62rH75f8nYxwzPT80gbaL4qqxlkIBy.zSTnmG5VW2/RKFXQcGIgqAQq/\nAladdin:$2y$05$HK/O9w/55MSjM2FMefSIbeFKKANQbfR/hlYWk8RlDrR7Qyb5gnuzG'
+        
+        self._temporary_htpasswd_file.write(file_content.encode('utf-8'))
+        self._temporary_htpasswd_file.close()
+        
+        self.plugin = HtpasswdAuth(self._temporary_htpasswd_file.name)
+
+    def test_no_auth(self):
+        headers = {}
+        self.assertRaises(AuthenticationError, self.plugin.authenticate, headers, 'localhost', '1234')
+
+    def test_invalid_password(self):
+        headers = {'Authorization': 'Basic QWxhZGRpbjpzZXNhbWUgc3RyZWV0'}
+        self.assertRaises(AuthenticationError, self.plugin.authenticate, headers, 'localhost', '1234')
+
+    def test_valid_password(self):
+        headers = {'Authorization': 'Basic QWxhZGRpbjpvcGVuIHNlc2FtZQ=='}
+        self.plugin.authenticate(headers, 'localhost', '1234')
+        headers = {'Authorization': 'Basic R2VuaWU6bGV0J3MgbWFrZSBzb21lIE1hZ2ljIQ=='}
+        self.plugin.authenticate(headers, 'localhost', '1234')
+
+    def test_garbage_auth(self):
+        headers = {'Authorization': 'Basic xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'}
+        self.assertRaises(AuthenticationError, self.plugin.authenticate, headers, 'localhost', '1234')
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        import os
+        os.remove(self._temporary_htpasswd_file.name)
+
diff --git a/websockify/auth_plugins.py b/websockify/auth_plugins.py
index 36fac520..4275323c 100644
--- a/websockify/auth_plugins.py
+++ b/websockify/auth_plugins.py
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+import logging
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+try:
+    from passlib.apache import HtpasswdFile
+except ImportError as e:
+    HtpasswdFile: None
+
+
 class BasePlugin():
     def __init__(self, src=None):
         self.source = src
@@ -76,6 +85,29 @@ def demand_auth(self):
         raise AuthenticationError(response_code=401,
                                   response_headers={'WWW-Authenticate': 'Basic realm="Websockify"'})
 
+class HtpasswdAuth(BasicHTTPAuth):
+    """Verifies Basic Auth headers against a htpasswd database. Specify src as the path to the htpasswd file"""
+
+    def __init__(self, src=None):
+        self.src = src
+        if HtpasswdFile is None:
+            logging.error("Class ''HtpasswdFile' from libpass (passlib.apache), is not initialized, verify the availability of the module 'libpass'" )
+            raise AuthenticationError(response_code=500, response_msg=f"Internal Server Error")
+
+    def validate_creds(self, username, password):
+        if self.src == None:
+            return False
+        try:
+            htfile = HtpasswdFile(self.src, new=False, encoding="utf-8")
+            isvalid_hash = htfile.check_password(username, password)
+            if isvalid_hash == None:
+                logger.warning("'%s' user not found in database." % (username))
+            return isvalid_hash
+        except (FileNotFoundError, PermissionError, OSError, ValueError) as e:
+            logging.error("%s: %s" % (type(e).__name__, e))
+            raise AuthenticationError(response_code=500, response_msg=f"Internal Server Error")
+        return False
+
 class ExpectOrigin():
     def __init__(self, src=None):
         if src is None: