diff --git a/PFERD/authenticator.py b/PFERD/authenticator.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42d8bb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PFERD/authenticator.py
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
+from typing import Tuple
+
+from .conductor import TerminalConductor
+from .config import Config, Section
+
+
+class AuthLoadException(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+class AuthException(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+class AuthSection(Section):
+    pass
+
+
+class Authenticator(ABC):
+    def __init__(
+            self,
+            name: str,
+            section: AuthSection,
+            config: Config,
+            conductor: TerminalConductor,
+    ) -> None:
+        """
+        Initialize an authenticator from its name and its section in the config
+        file.
+
+        If you are writing your own constructor for your own authenticator,
+        make sure to call this constructor first (via super().__init__).
+
+        May throw an AuthLoadException.
+        """
+
+        self.name = name
+        self.conductor = conductor
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    async def credentials(self) -> Tuple[str, str]:
+        pass
+
+    def invalid_credentials(self) -> None:
+        raise AuthException("Invalid credentials")
+
+    def invalid_username(self) -> None:
+        raise AuthException("Invalid username")
+
+    def invalid_password(self) -> None:
+        raise AuthException("Invalid password")
diff --git a/PFERD/authenticators/__init__.py b/PFERD/authenticators/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d021d40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PFERD/authenticators/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+from configparser import SectionProxy
+from typing import Callable, Dict
+
+from ..authenticator import Authenticator
+from ..conductor import TerminalConductor
+from ..config import Config
+from .simple import SimpleAuthenticator, SimpleAuthSection
+
+AuthConstructor = Callable[[
+    str,                # Name (without the "auth:" prefix)
+    SectionProxy,       # Authenticator's section of global config
+    Config,             # Global config
+    TerminalConductor,  # Global conductor instance
+], Authenticator]
+
+AUTHENTICATORS: Dict[str, AuthConstructor] = {
+    "simple": lambda n, s, c, t:
+        SimpleAuthenticator(n, SimpleAuthSection(s), c, t),
+}
diff --git a/PFERD/authenticators/simple.py b/PFERD/authenticators/simple.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a57faf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PFERD/authenticators/simple.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+from typing import Optional, Tuple
+
+from ..authenticator import Authenticator, AuthSection
+from ..conductor import TerminalConductor
+from ..config import Config
+from ..utils import agetpass, ainput
+
+
+class SimpleAuthSection(AuthSection):
+    def username(self) -> Optional[str]:
+        return self.s.get("username")
+
+    def password(self) -> Optional[str]:
+        return self.s.get("password")
+
+
+class SimpleAuthenticator(Authenticator):
+    def __init__(
+            self,
+            name: str,
+            section: SimpleAuthSection,
+            config: Config,
+            conductor: TerminalConductor,
+    ) -> None:
+        super().__init__(name, section, config, conductor)
+
+        self.username = section.username()
+        self.password = section.password()
+
+        self.username_fixed = self.username is not None
+        self.password_fixed = self.password is not None
+
+    async def credentials(self) -> Tuple[str, str]:
+        if self.username is not None and self.password is not None:
+            return self.username, self.password
+
+        async with self.conductor.exclusive_output():
+            if self.username is None:
+                self.username = await ainput("Username: ")
+            else:
+                print(f"Username: {self.username}")
+
+            if self.password is None:
+                self.password = await agetpass("Password: ")
+            else:
+                print("Password: *******")
+
+        return self.username, self.password
diff --git a/PFERD/config.py b/PFERD/config.py
index f63922b..56ea9af 100644
--- a/PFERD/config.py
+++ b/PFERD/config.py
@@ -138,6 +138,15 @@ class Config:
 
         return result
 
+    def authenticator_sections(self) -> List[Tuple[str, SectionProxy]]:
+        result = []
+        for section_name, section_proxy in self._parser.items():
+            if section_name.startswith("auth:"):
+                crawler_name = section_name[5:]
+                result.append((crawler_name, section_proxy))
+
+        return result
+
     @property
     def working_dir(self) -> Path:
         pathstr = self.default_section.get("working_dir", ".")
diff --git a/PFERD/pferd.py b/PFERD/pferd.py
index c7cd695..fb411fb 100644
--- a/PFERD/pferd.py
+++ b/PFERD/pferd.py
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ from typing import Dict
 from rich import print
 from rich.markup import escape
 
+from .authenticator import Authenticator
+from .authenticators import AUTHENTICATORS
 from .conductor import TerminalConductor
 from .config import Config
 from .crawler import Crawler
@@ -17,8 +19,32 @@ class Pferd:
     def __init__(self, config: Config):
         self._config = config
         self._conductor = TerminalConductor()
+        self._authenticators: Dict[str, Authenticator] = {}
         self._crawlers: Dict[str, Crawler] = {}
 
+    def _load_authenticators(self) -> None:
+        abort = False
+        for name, section in self._config.authenticator_sections():
+            print(f"[bold bright_cyan]Loading[/] auth:{escape(name)}")
+            authenticator_type = section.get("type")
+            authenticator_constructor = AUTHENTICATORS.get(authenticator_type)
+            if authenticator_constructor is None:
+                abort = True
+                t = escape(repr(authenticator_type))
+                print(f"[red]Error: Unknown authenticator type {t}")
+                continue
+
+            authenticator = authenticator_constructor(
+                name,
+                section,
+                self._config,
+                self._conductor,
+            )
+            self._authenticators[name] = authenticator
+
+        if abort:
+            raise PferdLoadException()
+
     def _load_crawlers(self) -> None:
         abort = False
         for name, section in self._config.crawler_sections():
@@ -44,6 +70,7 @@ class Pferd:
 
     async def run(self) -> None:
         try:
+            self._load_authenticators()
             self._load_crawlers()
         except PferdLoadException:
             print("[bold red]Could not initialize PFERD properly")