diff --git a/bigchaindb/backend/connection.py b/bigchaindb/backend/connection.py
index cf6bece7..56b5cd82 100644
--- a/bigchaindb/backend/connection.py
+++ b/bigchaindb/backend/connection.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
 def connect(backend=None, host=None, port=None, name=None, max_tries=None,
-            connection_timeout=None, replicaset=None, ssl=False):
+            connection_timeout=None, replicaset=None, ssl=False, login=None, password=None):
     """Create a new connection to the database backend.
 
     All arguments default to the current configuration's values if not
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ def connect(backend=None, host=None, port=None, name=None, max_tries=None,
     replicaset = replicaset or bigchaindb.config['database'].get('replicaset')
     ssl = bigchaindb.config['database'].get('ssl') if bigchaindb.config['database'].get('ssl') is not None \
         else ssl
+    login = login or bigchaindb.config['database'].get('login')
+    password = password or bigchaindb.config['database'].get('password')
 
     try:
         module_name, _, class_name = BACKENDS[backend].rpartition('.')
@@ -65,7 +67,7 @@ def connect(backend=None, host=None, port=None, name=None, max_tries=None,
     logger.debug('Connection: {}'.format(Class))
     return Class(host=host, port=port, dbname=dbname,
                  max_tries=max_tries, connection_timeout=connection_timeout,
-                 replicaset=replicaset, ssl=ssl)
+                 replicaset=replicaset, ssl=ssl, login=login, password=password)
 
 
 class Connection:
diff --git a/bigchaindb/backend/mongodb/connection.py b/bigchaindb/backend/mongodb/connection.py
index 274d64c1..9168190a 100644
--- a/bigchaindb/backend/mongodb/connection.py
+++ b/bigchaindb/backend/mongodb/connection.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 class MongoDBConnection(Connection):
 
-    def __init__(self, replicaset=None, ssl=False, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, replicaset=None, ssl=False, login=None, password=None, **kwargs):
         """Create a new Connection instance.
 
         Args:
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ class MongoDBConnection(Connection):
         self.replicaset = replicaset or bigchaindb.config['database']['replicaset']
         self.ssl = bigchaindb.config['database'].get('ssl') if bigchaindb.config['database'].get('ssl') is not None \
             else ssl
+        self.login = login or bigchaindb.config['database'].get('login')
+        self.password = password or bigchaindb.config['database'].get('password')
 
     @property
     def db(self):
@@ -73,15 +75,20 @@ class MongoDBConnection(Connection):
             # we should only return a connection if the replica set is
             # initialized. initialize_replica_set will check if the
             # replica set is initialized else it will initialize it.
-            initialize_replica_set(self.host, self.port, self.connection_timeout, self.ssl)
+            initialize_replica_set(self.host, self.port, self.connection_timeout, self.dbname, self.ssl, self.login, self.password)
 
             # FYI: this might raise a `ServerSelectionTimeoutError`,
             # that is a subclass of `ConnectionFailure`.
-            return pymongo.MongoClient(self.host,
-                                       self.port,
-                                       replicaset=self.replicaset,
-                                       serverselectiontimeoutms=self.connection_timeout,
-                                       ssl=self.ssl)
+            client =  pymongo.MongoClient(self.host,
+                                          self.port,
+                                          replicaset=self.replicaset,
+                                          serverselectiontimeoutms=self.connection_timeout,
+                                          ssl=self.ssl)
+            
+            if self.login is not None and self.password is not None:
+                client[self.dbname].authenticate(self.login, self.password)
+
+            return client
 
         # `initialize_replica_set` might raise `ConnectionFailure` or `OperationFailure`.
         except (pymongo.errors.ConnectionFailure,
@@ -89,7 +96,7 @@ class MongoDBConnection(Connection):
             raise ConnectionError() from exc
 
 
-def initialize_replica_set(host, port, connection_timeout, ssl):
+def initialize_replica_set(host, port, connection_timeout, dbname, ssl, login, password):
     """Initialize a replica set. If already initialized skip."""
 
     # Setup a MongoDB connection
@@ -100,6 +107,10 @@ def initialize_replica_set(host, port, connection_timeout, ssl):
                                port=port,
                                serverselectiontimeoutms=connection_timeout,
                                ssl=ssl)
+
+    if login is not None and password is not None:
+        conn[dbname].authenticate(login, password)
+
     _check_replica_set(conn)
     host = '{}:{}'.format(bigchaindb.config['database']['host'],
                           bigchaindb.config['database']['port'])