diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 439c784c8d9..fe79c5f3935 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ function RedisClient (options, stream) {
     this.closing = false;
     this.server_info = {};
     this.auth_pass = options.auth_pass || options.password;
+    this.auth_user = options.auth_user || options.user;
     this.selected_db = options.db; // Save the selected db here, used when reconnecting
     this.fire_strings = true; // Determine if strings or buffers should be written to the stream
     this.pipeline = false;
@@ -240,7 +241,7 @@ RedisClient.prototype.create_stream = function () {
     if (this.auth_pass !== undefined) {
         this.ready = true;
         // Fail silently as we might not be able to connect
-        this.auth(this.auth_pass, function (err) {
+        this.auth(this.auth_pass, this.auth_user, function (err) {
             if (err && err.code !== 'UNCERTAIN_STATE') {
                 self.emit('error', err);
             }
diff --git a/lib/createClient.js b/lib/createClient.js
index 1533d73d1b7..b03bb575399 100644
--- a/lib/createClient.js
+++ b/lib/createClient.js
@@ -29,7 +29,11 @@ module.exports = function createClient (port_arg, host_arg, options) {
         // [redis:]//[[user][:password]@][host][:port][/db-number][?db=db-number[&password=bar[&option=value]]]
         if (parsed.slashes) { // We require slashes
             if (parsed.auth) {
-                options.password = parsed.auth.slice(parsed.auth.indexOf(':') + 1);
+                var columnIndex = parsed.auth.indexOf(':');
+                options.password = parsed.auth.slice(columnIndex + 1);
+                if (columnIndex > 0) {
+                    options.user = parsed.auth.slice(0, columnIndex);
+                }
             }
             if (parsed.protocol) {
                 if (parsed.protocol === 'rediss:') {
diff --git a/lib/individualCommands.js b/lib/individualCommands.js
index 44973324993..4d6f0a70942 100644
--- a/lib/individualCommands.js
+++ b/lib/individualCommands.js
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ Multi.prototype.info = Multi.prototype.INFO = function info (section, callback)
     return this;
 };
 
-function auth_callback (self, pass, callback) {
+function auth_callback (self, pass, user, callback) {
     return function (err, res) {
         if (err) {
             if (no_password_is_set.test(err.message)) {
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ function auth_callback (self, pass, callback) {
                 // If redis is still loading the db, it will not authenticate and everything else will fail
                 debug('Redis still loading, trying to authenticate later');
                 setTimeout(function () {
-                    self.auth(pass, callback);
+                    self.auth(user, pass, callback);
                 }, 100);
                 return;
             }
@@ -200,25 +200,37 @@ function auth_callback (self, pass, callback) {
     };
 }
 
-RedisClient.prototype.auth = RedisClient.prototype.AUTH = function auth (pass, callback) {
+RedisClient.prototype.auth = RedisClient.prototype.AUTH = function auth (pass, user, callback) {
     debug('Sending auth to ' + this.address + ' id ' + this.connection_id);
 
+    // Backward compatibility support for auth with password only
+    if (user instanceof Function) {
+        callback = user;
+        user = null;
+    }
     // Stash auth for connect and reconnect.
     this.auth_pass = pass;
+    this.auth_user = user;
     var ready = this.ready;
     this.ready = ready || this.offline_queue.length === 0;
-    var tmp = this.internal_send_command(new Command('auth', [pass], auth_callback(this, pass, callback)));
+    var tmp = this.internal_send_command(new Command('auth', user ? [user, pass] : [pass], auth_callback(this, pass, user, callback)));
     this.ready = ready;
     return tmp;
 };
 
 // Only works with batch, not in a transaction
-Multi.prototype.auth = Multi.prototype.AUTH = function auth (pass, callback) {
+Multi.prototype.auth = Multi.prototype.AUTH = function auth (pass, user, callback) {
     debug('Sending auth to ' + this.address + ' id ' + this.connection_id);
 
+    // Backward compatibility support for auth with password only
+    if (user instanceof Function) {
+        callback = user;
+        user = null;
+    }
     // Stash auth for connect and reconnect.
     this.auth_pass = pass;
-    this.queue.push(new Command('auth', [pass], auth_callback(this._client, callback)));
+    this.auth_user = user;
+    this.queue.push(new Command('auth', user ? [user, pass] : [pass], auth_callback(this._client, pass, user, callback)));
     return this;
 };
 
diff --git a/test/auth.spec.js b/test/auth.spec.js
index 995d98136b3..d1b596e5ae3 100644
--- a/test/auth.spec.js
+++ b/test/auth.spec.js
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ describe('client authentication', function () {
                 });
                 var tmp = client.command_queue.get(0).callback;
                 client.command_queue.get(0).callback = function (err, res) {
-                    client.auth = function (pass, callback) {
+                    client.auth = function (pass, user, callback) {
                         callback(null, 'retry worked');
                     };
                     tmp(new Error('ERR redis is still LOADING'));