diff --git a/packages/authentication/src/authentication.component.ts b/packages/authentication/src/authentication.component.ts
index df158aaf35bd..f3638c17e987 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/src/authentication.component.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication/src/authentication.component.ts
@@ -3,23 +3,22 @@
 // This file is licensed under the MIT License.
 // License text available at https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
 
-import {bind, Component, ContextTags, ProviderMap} from '@loopback/core';
+import {bind, Component, ContextTags} from '@loopback/core';
 import {AuthenticationBindings} from './keys';
 import {
   AuthenticateActionProvider,
+  AuthenticationMiddlewareProvider,
   AuthenticationStrategyProvider,
   AuthMetadataProvider,
 } from './providers';
 
 @bind({tags: {[ContextTags.KEY]: AuthenticationBindings.COMPONENT}})
 export class AuthenticationComponent implements Component {
-  providers?: ProviderMap;
-
-  constructor() {
-    this.providers = {
-      [AuthenticationBindings.AUTH_ACTION.key]: AuthenticateActionProvider,
-      [AuthenticationBindings.STRATEGY.key]: AuthenticationStrategyProvider,
-      [AuthenticationBindings.METADATA.key]: AuthMetadataProvider,
-    };
-  }
+  providers = {
+    [AuthenticationBindings.AUTH_ACTION.key]: AuthenticateActionProvider,
+    [AuthenticationBindings.STRATEGY.key]: AuthenticationStrategyProvider,
+    [AuthenticationBindings.METADATA.key]: AuthMetadataProvider,
+    [AuthenticationBindings.AUTHENTICATION_MIDDLEWARE
+      .key]: AuthenticationMiddlewareProvider,
+  };
 }
diff --git a/packages/authentication/src/keys.ts b/packages/authentication/src/keys.ts
index 28f1bb7e55fa..615e0dfdb608 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/src/keys.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication/src/keys.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 import {BindingKey, MetadataAccessor} from '@loopback/core';
 import {SecurityBindings, UserProfile} from '@loopback/security';
+import {Middleware} from '@loopback/rest';
 import {AuthenticationComponent} from './authentication.component';
 import {
   AuthenticateFn,
@@ -88,6 +89,13 @@ export namespace AuthenticationBindings {
     'authentication.actions.authenticate',
   );
 
+  /**
+   * Binding key for AUTHENTICATION_MIDDLEWARE
+   */
+  export const AUTHENTICATION_MIDDLEWARE = BindingKey.create<Middleware>(
+    'middleware.authentication',
+  );
+
   /**
    * Key used to inject authentication metadata, which is used to determine
    * whether a request requires authentication or not.
diff --git a/packages/authentication/src/providers/auth-action.provider.ts b/packages/authentication/src/providers/auth-action.provider.ts
index 40e54f0fbbfe..daed73473253 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/src/providers/auth-action.provider.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication/src/providers/auth-action.provider.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,14 @@
 // This file is licensed under the MIT License.
 // License text available at https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
 
-import {Getter, inject, Provider, Setter} from '@loopback/core';
-import {Request, RedirectRoute} from '@loopback/rest';
+import {bind, Getter, inject, Provider, Setter} from '@loopback/core';
+import {
+  asMiddleware,
+  Middleware,
+  RedirectRoute,
+  Request,
+  RestTags,
+} from '@loopback/rest';
 import {SecurityBindings, UserProfile} from '@loopback/security';
 import {AuthenticationBindings} from '../keys';
 import {
@@ -80,3 +86,24 @@ export class AuthenticateActionProvider implements Provider<AuthenticateFn> {
     }
   }
 }
+
+@bind(
+  asMiddleware({
+    chain: RestTags.REST_MIDDLEWARE_CHAIN,
+    group: 'authentication',
+    upstreamGroups: ['cors', 'findRoute'],
+  }),
+)
+export class AuthenticationMiddlewareProvider implements Provider<Middleware> {
+  constructor(
+    @inject(AuthenticationBindings.AUTH_ACTION)
+    private authenticate: AuthenticateFn,
+  ) {}
+
+  value(): Middleware {
+    return async (ctx, next) => {
+      await this.authenticate(ctx.request);
+      return next();
+    };
+  }
+}