diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/app.go b/workspaces/backend/api/app.go
index 92f02b77..efb11b3b 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/app.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/app.go
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/authenticator"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authorization/authorizer"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 
 	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/config"
@@ -52,20 +54,26 @@ const (
 )
 
 type App struct {
-	Config       config.EnvConfig
+	Config       *config.EnvConfig
 	logger       *slog.Logger
 	repositories *repositories.Repositories
 	Scheme       *runtime.Scheme
+	RequestAuthN authenticator.Request
+	RequestAuthZ authorizer.Authorizer
 }
 
 // NewApp creates a new instance of the app
-func NewApp(cfg config.EnvConfig, logger *slog.Logger, cl client.Client, scheme *runtime.Scheme) (*App, error) {
+func NewApp(cfg *config.EnvConfig, logger *slog.Logger, cl client.Client, scheme *runtime.Scheme, reqAuthN authenticator.Request, reqAuthZ authorizer.Authorizer) (*App, error) {
+
+	// TODO: log the configuration on startup
 
 	app := &App{
 		Config:       cfg,
 		logger:       logger,
 		repositories: repositories.NewRepositories(cl),
 		Scheme:       scheme,
+		RequestAuthN: reqAuthN,
+		RequestAuthZ: reqAuthZ,
 	}
 	return app, nil
 }
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/auth.go b/workspaces/backend/api/auth.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4e905199
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/auth.go
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2024.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package api
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authorization/authorizer"
+
+	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/auth"
+)
+
+// requireAuth verifies that the request is authenticated and authorized to take the actions specified by the given policies.
+// If this method returns false, the request has been handled and the caller should return immediately.
+// If this method returns true, the request is authenticated and authorized to proceed.
+// This method should only be called once per request.
+func (a *App) requireAuth(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, policies []*auth.ResourcePolicy) bool {
+	ctx := r.Context()
+
+	// if auth is disabled, allow the request to proceed
+	if a.Config.DisableAuth {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// authenticate the request (extract user and groups from the request headers)
+	res, ok, err := a.RequestAuthN.AuthenticateRequest(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("failed to authenticate request: %w", err)
+		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, err)
+		return false
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		a.unauthorizedResponse(w, r)
+		return false
+	}
+
+	// for each policy, check if the user is authorized to take the requested action
+	for _, policy := range policies {
+		attributes := policy.AttributesFor(res.User)
+		authorized, reason, err := a.RequestAuthZ.Authorize(ctx, attributes)
+		if err != nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("failed to authorize request for user %q: %w", res.User.GetName(), err)
+			a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, err)
+			return false
+		}
+
+		if authorized != authorizer.DecisionAllow {
+			msg := fmt.Sprintf("authorization was denied for user %q", res.User.GetName())
+			if reason != "" {
+				msg = fmt.Sprintf("%s: %s", msg, reason)
+			}
+			a.forbiddenResponse(w, r, msg)
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+
+	return true
+}
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/errors.go b/workspaces/backend/api/errors.go
index e8ec75c6..3c807fcd 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/errors.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/errors.go
@@ -46,6 +46,15 @@ func (a *App) LogError(r *http.Request, err error) {
 	a.logger.Error(err.Error(), "method", method, "uri", uri)
 }
 
+func (a *App) LogWarn(r *http.Request, message string) {
+	var (
+		method = r.Method
+		uri    = r.URL.RequestURI()
+	)
+
+	a.logger.Warn(message, "method", method, "uri", uri)
+}
+
 //nolint:unused
 func (a *App) badRequestResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, err error) {
 	httpError := &HTTPError{
@@ -103,6 +112,30 @@ func (a *App) methodNotAllowedResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	a.errorResponse(w, r, httpError)
 }
 
+func (a *App) unauthorizedResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	httpError := &HTTPError{
+		StatusCode: http.StatusUnauthorized,
+		ErrorResponse: ErrorResponse{
+			Code:    strconv.Itoa(http.StatusUnauthorized),
+			Message: "authentication is required to access this resource",
+		},
+	}
+	a.errorResponse(w, r, httpError)
+}
+
+func (a *App) forbiddenResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, msg string) {
+	a.LogWarn(r, msg)
+
+	httpError := &HTTPError{
+		StatusCode: http.StatusForbidden,
+		ErrorResponse: ErrorResponse{
+			Code:    strconv.Itoa(http.StatusForbidden),
+			Message: "you are not authorized to access this resource",
+		},
+	}
+	a.errorResponse(w, r, httpError)
+}
+
 //nolint:unused
 func (a *App) failedValidationResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, errors map[string]string) {
 	message, err := json.Marshal(errors)
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/healthcheck_handler_test.go b/workspaces/backend/api/healthcheck_handler_test.go
index 3df32e5f..ec1fe340 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/healthcheck_handler_test.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/healthcheck_handler_test.go
@@ -26,28 +26,13 @@ import (
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 
-	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/config"
 	models "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/models/health_check"
-	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories"
 )
 
 var _ = Describe("HealthCheck Handler", func() {
-	var (
-		a App
-	)
 
 	Context("when backend is healthy", func() {
 
-		BeforeEach(func() {
-			repos := repositories.NewRepositories(k8sClient)
-			a = App{
-				Config: config.EnvConfig{
-					Port: 4000,
-				},
-				repositories: repos,
-			}
-		})
-
 		It("should return a health check response", func() {
 			By("creating the HTTP request")
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, HealthCheckPath, http.NoBody)
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/namespaces_handler.go b/workspaces/backend/api/namespaces_handler.go
index d178e927..dc41380e 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/namespaces_handler.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/namespaces_handler.go
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 
+	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/auth"
 	models "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/models/namespaces"
 )
 
@@ -28,6 +30,18 @@ type NamespacesEnvelope Envelope[[]models.Namespace]
 
 func (a *App) GetNamespacesHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, _ httprouter.Params) {
 
+	// =========================== AUTH ===========================
+	authPolicies := []*auth.ResourcePolicy{
+		auth.NewResourcePolicy(
+			auth.ResourceVerbList,
+			&corev1.Namespace{},
+		),
+	}
+	if success := a.requireAuth(w, r, authPolicies); !success {
+		return
+	}
+	// ============================================================
+
 	namespaces, err := a.repositories.Namespace.GetNamespaces(r.Context())
 	if err != nil {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, err)
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/namespaces_handler_test.go b/workspaces/backend/api/namespaces_handler_test.go
index 3d414d39..5f12911e 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/namespaces_handler_test.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/namespaces_handler_test.go
@@ -29,15 +29,10 @@ import (
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 
-	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/config"
 	models "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/models/namespaces"
-	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories"
 )
 
 var _ = Describe("Namespaces Handler", func() {
-	var (
-		a App
-	)
 
 	// NOTE: these tests assume a specific state of the cluster, so cannot be run in parallel with other tests.
 	//       therefore, we run them using the `Serial` Ginkgo decorators.
@@ -47,14 +42,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Namespaces Handler", func() {
 		const namespaceName2 = "get-ns-test-ns2"
 
 		BeforeEach(func() {
-			repos := repositories.NewRepositories(k8sClient)
-			a = App{
-				Config: config.EnvConfig{
-					Port: 4000,
-				},
-				repositories: repos,
-			}
-
 			By("creating Namespace 1")
 			namespace1 := &corev1.Namespace{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
@@ -95,6 +82,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Namespaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, AllNamespacesPath, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetNamespacesHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{}
 			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/suite_test.go b/workspaces/backend/api/suite_test.go
index 814c5c98..2e947859 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/suite_test.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/suite_test.go
@@ -19,39 +19,52 @@ package api
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
 	"testing"
 
-	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource"
-	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/utils/ptr"
-	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
-	metricsserver "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/metrics/server"
-
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 
+	kubefloworgv1beta1 "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/controller/api/v1beta1"
+	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	rbacv1 "k8s.io/api/rbac/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/scheme"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
+	"k8s.io/utils/ptr"
+	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/envtest"
 	logf "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log/zap"
+	metricsserver "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/metrics/server"
 
-	kubefloworgv1beta1 "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/controller/api/v1beta1"
+	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/auth"
+	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/config"
 )
 
 // These tests use Ginkgo (BDD-style Go testing framework). Refer to
 // http://onsi.github.io/ginkgo/ to learn more about Ginkgo.
 
+const (
+	userIdHeader = "userid-header"
+	userIdPrefix = ""
+	groupsHeader = "groups-header"
+
+	adminUser = "notebooks-admin"
+)
+
 var (
 	testEnv *envtest.Environment
 	cfg     *rest.Config
 
 	k8sClient client.Client
 
+	a *App
+
 	ctx    context.Context
 	cancel context.CancelFunc
 )
@@ -95,6 +108,30 @@ var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 	Expect(k8sClient).NotTo(BeNil())
 
+	By("creating the notebooks-admin ClusterRoleBinding")
+	Expect(k8sClient.Create(ctx, &rbacv1.ClusterRoleBinding{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name: "notebooks-admin",
+		},
+		Subjects: []rbacv1.Subject{
+			{
+				Kind: "User",
+				Name: adminUser,
+			},
+		},
+		RoleRef: rbacv1.RoleRef{
+			Kind: "ClusterRole",
+			Name: "cluster-admin",
+		},
+	})).To(Succeed())
+
+	By("listing the clusterRoles")
+	clusterRoles := &rbacv1.ClusterRoleList{}
+	Expect(k8sClient.List(ctx, clusterRoles)).To(Succeed())
+	for _, clusterRole := range clusterRoles.Items {
+		fmt.Printf("ClusterRole: %s\n", clusterRole.Name)
+	}
+
 	By("setting up the controller manager")
 	k8sManager, err := ctrl.NewManager(cfg, ctrl.Options{
 		Scheme: scheme.Scheme,
@@ -104,6 +141,21 @@ var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 	})
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+	By("initializing the application logger")
+	appLogger := slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(GinkgoWriter, nil))
+
+	By("creating the request authenticator")
+	reqAuthN, err := auth.NewRequestAuthenticator(userIdHeader, userIdPrefix, groupsHeader)
+	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+	By("creating the request authorizer")
+	reqAuthZ, err := auth.NewRequestAuthorizer(k8sManager.GetConfig(), k8sManager.GetHTTPClient())
+	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+	By("creating the application")
+	// NOTE: we use the `k8sClient` rather than `k8sManager.GetClient()` to avoid race conditions with the cached client
+	a, err = NewApp(&config.EnvConfig{}, appLogger, k8sClient, k8sManager.GetScheme(), reqAuthN, reqAuthZ)
+
 	go func() {
 		defer GinkgoRecover()
 		err = k8sManager.Start(ctx)
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler.go b/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler.go
index c5119440..81439167 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler.go
@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter"
+	kubefloworgv1beta1 "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/controller/api/v1beta1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 
+	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/auth"
 	models "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/models/workspacekinds"
 	repository "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories/workspacekinds"
 )
@@ -33,12 +36,25 @@ type WorkspaceKindEnvelope Envelope[models.WorkspaceKind]
 
 func (a *App) GetWorkspaceKindHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps httprouter.Params) {
 	name := ps.ByName("name")
-
 	if name == "" {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("workspace kind name is missing"))
 		return
 	}
 
+	// =========================== AUTH ===========================
+	authPolicies := []*auth.ResourcePolicy{
+		auth.NewResourcePolicy(
+			auth.ResourceVerbGet,
+			&kubefloworgv1beta1.WorkspaceKind{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: name},
+			},
+		),
+	}
+	if success := a.requireAuth(w, r, authPolicies); !success {
+		return
+	}
+	// ============================================================
+
 	workspaceKind, err := a.repositories.WorkspaceKind.GetWorkspaceKind(r.Context(), name)
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, repository.ErrWorkspaceKindNotFound) {
@@ -60,6 +76,18 @@ func (a *App) GetWorkspaceKindHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps
 }
 
 func (a *App) GetWorkspaceKindsHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, _ httprouter.Params) {
+	// =========================== AUTH ===========================
+	authPolicies := []*auth.ResourcePolicy{
+		auth.NewResourcePolicy(
+			auth.ResourceVerbList,
+			&kubefloworgv1beta1.WorkspaceKind{},
+		),
+	}
+	if success := a.requireAuth(w, r, authPolicies); !success {
+		return
+	}
+	// ============================================================
+
 	workspaceKinds, err := a.repositories.WorkspaceKind.GetWorkspaceKinds(r.Context())
 	if err != nil {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, err)
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler_test.go b/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler_test.go
index 8d19f261..03683a62 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler_test.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler_test.go
@@ -32,9 +32,7 @@ import (
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 
-	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/config"
 	models "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/models/workspacekinds"
-	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories"
 )
 
 var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
@@ -47,8 +45,6 @@ var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
 		const namespaceName1 = "wsk-exist-test-ns1"
 
 		var (
-			a App
-
 			workspaceKind1Name string
 			workspaceKind1Key  types.NamespacedName
 			workspaceKind2Name string
@@ -62,14 +58,6 @@ var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
 			workspaceKind2Name = fmt.Sprintf("workspacekind-2-%s", uniqueName)
 			workspaceKind2Key = types.NamespacedName{Name: workspaceKind2Name}
 
-			repos := repositories.NewRepositories(k8sClient)
-			a = App{
-				Config: config.EnvConfig{
-					Port: 4000,
-				},
-				repositories: repos,
-			}
-
 			By("creating Namespace 1")
 			namespace1 := &corev1.Namespace{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
@@ -111,7 +99,6 @@ var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
 				},
 			}
 			Expect(k8sClient.Delete(ctx, namespace1)).To(Succeed())
-
 		})
 
 		It("should retrieve the all WorkspaceKinds successfully", func() {
@@ -119,6 +106,9 @@ var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspaceKindsHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{}
 			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
@@ -164,6 +154,9 @@ var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspaceKindHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
 				httprouter.Param{Key: WorkspaceKindNamePathParam, Value: workspaceKind1Name},
@@ -206,23 +199,14 @@ var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
 	//       therefore, we run them using the `Serial` Ginkgo decorators.
 	Context("with no existing WorkspaceKinds", Serial, func() {
 
-		var a App
-
-		BeforeEach(func() {
-			repos := repositories.NewRepositories(k8sClient)
-			a = App{
-				Config: config.EnvConfig{
-					Port: 4000,
-				},
-				repositories: repos,
-			}
-		})
-
 		It("should return an empty list of WorkspaceKinds", func() {
 			By("creating the HTTP request")
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspacesHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{}
 			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
@@ -254,6 +238,9 @@ var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspaceKindHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
 				httprouter.Param{Key: WorkspaceNamePathParam, Value: missingWorkspaceKindName},
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler.go b/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler.go
index aa970f77..726395ee 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler.go
@@ -23,7 +23,10 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter"
+	kubefloworgv1beta1 "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/controller/api/v1beta1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 
+	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/auth"
 	models "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/models/workspaces"
 	repository "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories/workspaces"
 )
@@ -34,20 +37,35 @@ type WorkspaceEnvelope Envelope[models.Workspace]
 
 func (a *App) GetWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps httprouter.Params) {
 	namespace := ps.ByName(NamespacePathParam)
-	workspaceName := ps.ByName(WorkspaceNamePathParam)
-
-	var workspace models.Workspace
-	var err error
 	if namespace == "" {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("namespace is nil"))
 		return
 	}
+
+	workspaceName := ps.ByName(WorkspaceNamePathParam)
 	if workspaceName == "" {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("workspaceName is nil"))
 		return
 	}
 
-	workspace, err = a.repositories.Workspace.GetWorkspace(r.Context(), namespace, workspaceName)
+	// =========================== AUTH ===========================
+	authPolicies := []*auth.ResourcePolicy{
+		auth.NewResourcePolicy(
+			auth.ResourceVerbGet,
+			&kubefloworgv1beta1.Workspace{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Namespace: namespace,
+					Name:      workspaceName,
+				},
+			},
+		),
+	}
+	if success := a.requireAuth(w, r, authPolicies); !success {
+		return
+	}
+	// ============================================================
+
+	workspace, err := a.repositories.Workspace.GetWorkspace(r.Context(), namespace, workspaceName)
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, repository.ErrWorkspaceNotFound) {
 			a.notFoundResponse(w, r)
@@ -71,6 +89,22 @@ func (a *App) GetWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps htt
 func (a *App) GetWorkspacesHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps httprouter.Params) {
 	namespace := ps.ByName(NamespacePathParam)
 
+	// =========================== AUTH ===========================
+	authPolicies := []*auth.ResourcePolicy{
+		auth.NewResourcePolicy(
+			auth.ResourceVerbList,
+			&kubefloworgv1beta1.Workspace{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Namespace: namespace,
+				},
+			},
+		),
+	}
+	if success := a.requireAuth(w, r, authPolicies); !success {
+		return
+	}
+	// ============================================================
+
 	var workspaces []models.Workspace
 	var err error
 	if namespace == "" {
@@ -95,7 +129,6 @@ func (a *App) GetWorkspacesHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps ht
 
 func (a *App) CreateWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps httprouter.Params) {
 	namespace := ps.ByName("namespace")
-
 	if namespace == "" {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("namespace is missing"))
 		return
@@ -109,6 +142,23 @@ func (a *App) CreateWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps
 
 	workspaceModel.Namespace = namespace
 
+	// =========================== AUTH ===========================
+	authPolicies := []*auth.ResourcePolicy{
+		auth.NewResourcePolicy(
+			auth.ResourceVerbCreate,
+			&kubefloworgv1beta1.Workspace{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Namespace: namespace,
+					Name:      workspaceModel.Name,
+				},
+			},
+		),
+	}
+	if success := a.requireAuth(w, r, authPolicies); !success {
+		return
+	}
+	// ============================================================
+
 	createdWorkspace, err := a.repositories.Workspace.CreateWorkspace(r.Context(), workspaceModel)
 	if err != nil {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("error creating workspace: %w", err))
@@ -129,18 +179,34 @@ func (a *App) CreateWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps
 
 func (a *App) DeleteWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps httprouter.Params) {
 	namespace := ps.ByName("namespace")
-	workspaceName := ps.ByName("name")
-
 	if namespace == "" {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("namespace is missing"))
 		return
 	}
 
+	workspaceName := ps.ByName("name")
 	if workspaceName == "" {
 		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("workspace name is missing"))
 		return
 	}
 
+	// =========================== AUTH ===========================
+	authPolicies := []*auth.ResourcePolicy{
+		auth.NewResourcePolicy(
+			auth.ResourceVerbDelete,
+			&kubefloworgv1beta1.Workspace{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Namespace: namespace,
+					Name:      workspaceName,
+				},
+			},
+		),
+	}
+	if success := a.requireAuth(w, r, authPolicies); !success {
+		return
+	}
+	// ============================================================
+
 	err := a.repositories.Workspace.DeleteWorkspace(r.Context(), namespace, workspaceName)
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, repository.ErrWorkspaceNotFound) {
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler_test.go b/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler_test.go
index 0f367988..fbc80e82 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler_test.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler_test.go
@@ -34,9 +34,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/utils/ptr"
 
-	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/config"
 	models "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/models/workspaces"
-	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories"
 )
 
 var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
@@ -50,8 +48,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 		const namespaceName2 = "ws-exist-ns2"
 
 		var (
-			a App
-
 			workspaceName1 string
 			workspaceKey1  types.NamespacedName
 			workspaceName2 string
@@ -74,14 +70,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			workspaceKindName = fmt.Sprintf("workspacekind-%s", uniqueName)
 			workspaceKindKey = types.NamespacedName{Name: workspaceKindName}
 
-			repos := repositories.NewRepositories(k8sClient)
-			a = App{
-				Config: config.EnvConfig{
-					Port: 4000,
-				},
-				repositories: repos,
-			}
-
 			By("creating Namespace 1")
 			namespace1 := &corev1.Namespace{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
@@ -173,6 +161,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, AllWorkspacesPath, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspacesHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{}
 			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
@@ -225,6 +216,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspacesHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
 				httprouter.Param{Key: NamespacePathParam, Value: namespaceName1},
@@ -277,6 +271,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspaceHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
 				httprouter.Param{Key: NamespacePathParam, Value: namespaceName1},
@@ -327,8 +324,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 		const namespaceName1 = "ws-invalid-ns1"
 
 		var (
-			a App
-
 			workspaceMissingWskName string
 			workspaceMissingWskKey  types.NamespacedName
 
@@ -353,14 +348,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			workspaceKindName = fmt.Sprintf("workspacekind-%s", uniqueName)
 			workspaceKindKey = types.NamespacedName{Name: workspaceKindName}
 
-			repos := repositories.NewRepositories(k8sClient)
-			a = App{
-				Config: config.EnvConfig{
-					Port: 4000,
-				},
-				repositories: repos,
-			}
-
 			By("creating Namespace 1")
 			namespace1 := &corev1.Namespace{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
@@ -439,6 +426,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspacesHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
 				httprouter.Param{Key: NamespacePathParam, Value: namespaceName1},
@@ -506,6 +496,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspaceHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
 				httprouter.Param{Key: NamespacePathParam, Value: namespaceName1},
@@ -542,23 +535,14 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 	//       therefore, we run them using the `Serial` Ginkgo decorators.
 	Context("with no existing Workspaces", Serial, func() {
 
-		var a App
-
-		BeforeEach(func() {
-			repos := repositories.NewRepositories(k8sClient)
-			a = App{
-				Config: config.EnvConfig{
-					Port: 4000,
-				},
-				repositories: repos,
-			}
-		})
-
 		It("should return an empty list of Workspaces for all namespaces", func() {
 			By("creating the HTTP request")
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, AllWorkspacesPath, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspacesHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{}
 			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
@@ -590,6 +574,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspacesHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
 				httprouter.Param{Key: NamespacePathParam, Value: missingNamespace},
@@ -625,6 +612,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing GetWorkspaceHandler")
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
 				httprouter.Param{Key: NamespacePathParam, Value: missingNamespace},
@@ -647,7 +637,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 		const namespaceNameCrud = "ws-crud-ns"
 
 		var (
-			a                 App
 			workspaceName     string
 			workspaceKey      types.NamespacedName
 			workspaceKindName string
@@ -661,14 +650,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			workspaceKindName = fmt.Sprintf("workspacekind-%s", uniqueName)
 			workspaceKindKey = types.NamespacedName{Name: workspaceKindName}
 
-			repos := repositories.NewRepositories(k8sClient)
-			a = App{
-				Config: config.EnvConfig{
-					Port: 4000,
-				},
-				repositories: repos,
-			}
-
 			By("creating the Namespace")
 			namespaceA := &corev1.Namespace{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
@@ -755,6 +736,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing CreateWorkspaceHandler")
 			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
 			ps := httprouter.Params{
@@ -783,6 +767,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			req, err = http.NewRequest(http.MethodDelete, path, http.NoBody)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
+			By("setting the auth headers")
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
 			By("executing DeleteWorkspaceHandler")
 			rr = httptest.NewRecorder()
 			ps = httprouter.Params{
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/cmd/main.go b/workspaces/backend/cmd/main.go
index c26a0bb2..9b07c306 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/cmd/main.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/cmd/main.go
@@ -26,27 +26,78 @@ import (
 	metricsserver "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/metrics/server"
 
 	application "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/api"
+	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/auth"
 	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/config"
 	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/helper"
 	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/server"
 )
 
 func main() {
-	var cfg config.EnvConfig
-	flag.IntVar(&cfg.Port, "port", getEnvAsInt("PORT", 4000), "API server port")
+	// Define command line flags
+	cfg := &config.EnvConfig{}
+	flag.IntVar(&cfg.Port,
+		"port",
+		getEnvAsInt("PORT", 4000),
+		"API server port",
+	)
+	flag.Float64Var(
+		&cfg.ClientQPS,
+		"client-qps",
+		getEnvAsFloat64("CLIENT_QPS", 50),
+		"QPS configuration passed to rest.Client",
+	)
+	flag.IntVar(
+		&cfg.ClientBurst,
+		"client-burst",
+		getEnvAsInt("CLIENT_BURST", 100),
+		"Maximum Burst configuration passed to rest.Client",
+	)
+	flag.BoolVar(
+		// TODO: remove before GA
+		&cfg.DisableAuth,
+		"disable-auth",
+		getEnvAsBool("DISABLE_AUTH", true),
+		"Disable authentication and authorization",
+	)
+	flag.StringVar(
+		&cfg.UserIdHeader,
+		"userid-header",
+		getEnvAsStr("USERID_HEADER", "kubeflow-userid"),
+		"Key of request header containing user id",
+	)
+	flag.StringVar(
+		&cfg.UserIdPrefix,
+		"userid-prefix",
+		getEnvAsStr("USERID_PREFIX", ":"),
+		"Request header user id common prefix",
+	)
+	flag.StringVar(
+		&cfg.GroupsHeader,
+		"groups-header",
+		getEnvAsStr("GROUPS_HEADER", "kubeflow-groups"),
+		"Key of request header containing user groups",
+	)
 
+	// Initialize the logger
 	logger := slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(os.Stdout, nil))
 
-	kubeconfig, err := helper.GetKubeconfig()
+	// Build the Kubernetes client configuration
+	kubeconfig, err := ctrl.GetConfig()
 	if err != nil {
-		logger.Error("failed to get kubeconfig", "error", err)
+		logger.Error("failed to get Kubernetes config", "error", err)
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
+	kubeconfig.QPS = float32(cfg.ClientQPS)
+	kubeconfig.Burst = cfg.ClientBurst
+
+	// Build the Kubernetes scheme
 	scheme, err := helper.BuildScheme()
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Error("failed to build Kubernetes scheme", "error", err)
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
+
+	// Create the controller manager
 	mgr, err := ctrl.NewManager(kubeconfig, ctrl.Options{
 		Scheme: scheme,
 		Metrics: metricsserver.Options{
@@ -60,7 +111,21 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
-	app, err := application.NewApp(cfg, logger, mgr.GetClient(), mgr.GetScheme())
+	// Create the request authenticator
+	reqAuthN, err := auth.NewRequestAuthenticator(cfg.UserIdHeader, cfg.UserIdPrefix, cfg.GroupsHeader)
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Error("failed to create request authenticator", "error", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
+	// Create the request authorizer
+	reqAuthZ, err := auth.NewRequestAuthorizer(mgr.GetConfig(), mgr.GetHTTPClient())
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Error("failed to create request authorizer", "error", err)
+	}
+
+	// Create the application and server
+	app, err := application.NewApp(cfg, logger, mgr.GetClient(), mgr.GetScheme(), reqAuthN, reqAuthZ)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Error("failed to create app", "error", err)
 		os.Exit(1)
@@ -75,6 +140,7 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	// Start the controller manager
 	logger.Info("starting manager")
 	if err := mgr.Start(ctrl.SetupSignalHandler()); err != nil {
 		logger.Error("problem running manager", "error", err)
@@ -90,3 +156,28 @@ func getEnvAsInt(name string, defaultVal int) int {
 	}
 	return defaultVal
 }
+
+func getEnvAsFloat64(name string, defaultVal float64) float64 {
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv(name); exists {
+		if floatValue, err := strconv.ParseFloat(value, 64); err == nil {
+			return floatValue
+		}
+	}
+	return defaultVal
+}
+
+func getEnvAsStr(name string, defaultVal string) string {
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv(name); exists {
+		return value
+	}
+	return defaultVal
+}
+
+func getEnvAsBool(name string, defaultVal bool) bool {
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv(name); exists {
+		if boolValue, err := strconv.ParseBool(value); err == nil {
+			return boolValue
+		}
+	}
+	return defaultVal
+}
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/go.mod b/workspaces/backend/go.mod
index 11966de1..b459b779 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/go.mod
+++ b/workspaces/backend/go.mod
@@ -9,23 +9,29 @@ require (
 	github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/controller v0.0.0
 	github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2 v2.19.0
 	github.com/onsi/gomega v1.33.1
-	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.9.0
 	k8s.io/api v0.31.0
 	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.31.0
+	k8s.io/apiserver v0.31.0
 	k8s.io/client-go v0.31.0
 	k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20240711033017-18e509b52bc8
 	sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.19.1
 )
 
 require (
+	github.com/antlr4-go/antlr/v4 v4.13.0 // indirect
+	github.com/asaskevich/govalidator v0.0.0-20190424111038-f61b66f89f4a // indirect
 	github.com/beorn7/perks v1.0.1 // indirect
+	github.com/blang/semver/v4 v4.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/cenkalti/backoff/v4 v4.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/cespare/xxhash/v2 v2.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.2-0.20180830191138-d8f796af33cc // indirect
 	github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.11.0 // indirect
 	github.com/evanphx/json-patch/v5 v5.9.0 // indirect
+	github.com/felixge/httpsnoop v1.0.4 // indirect
 	github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.7.0 // indirect
 	github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0 // indirect
 	github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.2 // indirect
+	github.com/go-logr/stdr v1.2.2 // indirect
 	github.com/go-logr/zapr v1.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/go-openapi/jsonpointer v0.19.6 // indirect
 	github.com/go-openapi/jsonreference v0.20.2 // indirect
@@ -34,12 +40,15 @@ require (
 	github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2 // indirect
 	github.com/golang/groupcache v0.0.0-20210331224755-41bb18bfe9da // indirect
 	github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4 // indirect
+	github.com/google/cel-go v0.20.1 // indirect
 	github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.8 // indirect
 	github.com/google/go-cmp v0.6.0 // indirect
 	github.com/google/gofuzz v1.2.0 // indirect
 	github.com/google/pprof v0.0.0-20240525223248-4bfdf5a9a2af // indirect
 	github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 // indirect
+	github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.20.0 // indirect
 	github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.6 // indirect
+	github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 // indirect
 	github.com/josharian/intern v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/json-iterator/go v1.1.12 // indirect
 	github.com/mailru/easyjson v0.7.7 // indirect
@@ -47,31 +56,46 @@ require (
 	github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.2 // indirect
 	github.com/munnerz/goautoneg v0.0.0-20191010083416-a7dc8b61c822 // indirect
 	github.com/pkg/errors v0.9.1 // indirect
-	github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.1-0.20181226105442-5d4384ee4fb2 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.19.1 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/client_model v0.6.1 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/common v0.55.0 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.15.1 // indirect
+	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.8.1 // indirect
 	github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.5 // indirect
+	github.com/stoewer/go-strcase v1.2.0 // indirect
 	github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.53.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.28.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace v1.28.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracegrpc v1.27.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.28.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.28.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.28.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.3.1 // indirect
 	go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 // indirect
 	go.uber.org/zap v1.26.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20230515195305-f3d0a9c9a5cc // indirect
 	golang.org/x/net v0.26.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.21.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sync v0.7.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.21.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/term v0.21.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/text v0.16.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/time v0.3.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/tools v0.21.1-0.20240508182429-e35e4ccd0d2d // indirect
 	gomodules.xyz/jsonpatch/v2 v2.4.0 // indirect
+	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20240528184218-531527333157 // indirect
+	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20240701130421-f6361c86f094 // indirect
+	google.golang.org/grpc v1.65.0 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.34.2 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
 	k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.31.0 // indirect
+	k8s.io/component-base v0.31.0 // indirect
 	k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.130.1 // indirect
 	k8s.io/kube-openapi v0.0.0-20240228011516-70dd3763d340 // indirect
+	sigs.k8s.io/apiserver-network-proxy/konnectivity-client v0.30.3 // indirect
 	sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20221116044647-bc3834ca7abd // indirect
 	sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v4 v4.4.1 // indirect
 	sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.4.0 // indirect
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/go.sum b/workspaces/backend/go.sum
index b8c5755a..e2470d9c 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/go.sum
+++ b/workspaces/backend/go.sum
@@ -1,7 +1,16 @@
+github.com/antlr4-go/antlr/v4 v4.13.0 h1:lxCg3LAv+EUK6t1i0y1V6/SLeUi0eKEKdhQAlS8TVTI=
+github.com/antlr4-go/antlr/v4 v4.13.0/go.mod h1:pfChB/xh/Unjila75QW7+VU4TSnWnnk9UTnmpPaOR2g=
+github.com/asaskevich/govalidator v0.0.0-20190424111038-f61b66f89f4a h1:idn718Q4B6AGu/h5Sxe66HYVdqdGu2l9Iebqhi/AEoA=
+github.com/asaskevich/govalidator v0.0.0-20190424111038-f61b66f89f4a/go.mod h1:lB+ZfQJz7igIIfQNfa7Ml4HSf2uFQQRzpGGRXenZAgY=
 github.com/beorn7/perks v1.0.1 h1:VlbKKnNfV8bJzeqoa4cOKqO6bYr3WgKZxO8Z16+hsOM=
 github.com/beorn7/perks v1.0.1/go.mod h1:G2ZrVWU2WbWT9wwq4/hrbKbnv/1ERSJQ0ibhJ6rlkpw=
+github.com/blang/semver/v4 v4.0.0 h1:1PFHFE6yCCTv8C1TeyNNarDzntLi7wMI5i/pzqYIsAM=
+github.com/blang/semver/v4 v4.0.0/go.mod h1:IbckMUScFkM3pff0VJDNKRiT6TG/YpiHIM2yvyW5YoQ=
+github.com/cenkalti/backoff/v4 v4.3.0 h1:MyRJ/UdXutAwSAT+s3wNd7MfTIcy71VQueUuFK343L8=
+github.com/cenkalti/backoff/v4 v4.3.0/go.mod h1:Y3VNntkOUPxTVeUxJ/G5vcM//AlwfmyYozVcomhLiZE=
 github.com/cespare/xxhash/v2 v2.3.0 h1:UL815xU9SqsFlibzuggzjXhog7bL6oX9BbNZnL2UFvs=
 github.com/cespare/xxhash/v2 v2.3.0/go.mod h1:VGX0DQ3Q6kWi7AoAeZDth3/j3BFtOZR5XLFGgcrjCOs=
+github.com/cpuguy83/go-md2man/v2 v2.0.4/go.mod h1:tgQtvFlXSQOSOSIRvRPT7W67SCa46tRHOmNcaadrF8o=
 github.com/creack/pty v1.1.9/go.mod h1:oKZEueFk5CKHvIhNR5MUki03XCEU+Q6VDXinZuGJ33E=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.0/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
@@ -13,12 +22,17 @@ github.com/evanphx/json-patch v0.5.2 h1:xVCHIVMUu1wtM/VkR9jVZ45N3FhZfYMMYGorLCR8
 github.com/evanphx/json-patch v0.5.2/go.mod h1:ZWS5hhDbVDyob71nXKNL0+PWn6ToqBHMikGIFbs31qQ=
 github.com/evanphx/json-patch/v5 v5.9.0 h1:kcBlZQbplgElYIlo/n1hJbls2z/1awpXxpRi0/FOJfg=
 github.com/evanphx/json-patch/v5 v5.9.0/go.mod h1:VNkHZ/282BpEyt/tObQO8s5CMPmYYq14uClGH4abBuQ=
+github.com/felixge/httpsnoop v1.0.4 h1:NFTV2Zj1bL4mc9sqWACXbQFVBBg2W3GPvqp8/ESS2Wg=
+github.com/felixge/httpsnoop v1.0.4/go.mod h1:m8KPJKqk1gH5J9DgRY2ASl2lWCfGKXixSwevea8zH2U=
 github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.7.0 h1:8JEhPFa5W2WU7YfeZzPNqzMP6Lwt7L2715Ggo0nosvA=
 github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.7.0/go.mod h1:40Bi/Hjc2AVfZrqy+aj+yEI+/bRxZnMJyTJwOpGvigM=
 github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0 h1:iM5WgngdRBanHcxugY4JySA0nk1wZorNOpTgCMedv5E=
 github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0/go.mod h1:pxXPTn3joSm21Gbwsv0w9OSA2y1HFR9qXEeXQVeNoDQ=
+github.com/go-logr/logr v1.2.2/go.mod h1:jdQByPbusPIv2/zmleS9BjJVeZ6kBagPoEUsqbVz/1A=
 github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.2 h1:6pFjapn8bFcIbiKo3XT4j/BhANplGihG6tvd+8rYgrY=
 github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.2/go.mod h1:9T104GzyrTigFIr8wt5mBrctHMim0Nb2HLGrmQ40KvY=
+github.com/go-logr/stdr v1.2.2 h1:hSWxHoqTgW2S2qGc0LTAI563KZ5YKYRhT3MFKZMbjag=
+github.com/go-logr/stdr v1.2.2/go.mod h1:mMo/vtBO5dYbehREoey6XUKy/eSumjCCveDpRre4VKE=
 github.com/go-logr/zapr v1.3.0 h1:XGdV8XW8zdwFiwOA2Dryh1gj2KRQyOOoNmBy4EplIcQ=
 github.com/go-logr/zapr v1.3.0/go.mod h1:YKepepNBd1u/oyhd/yQmtjVXmm9uML4IXUgMOwR8/Gg=
 github.com/go-openapi/jsonpointer v0.19.6 h1:eCs3fxoIi3Wh6vtgmLTOjdhSpiqphQ+DaPn38N2ZdrE=
@@ -36,6 +50,8 @@ github.com/golang/groupcache v0.0.0-20210331224755-41bb18bfe9da h1:oI5xCqsCo564l
 github.com/golang/groupcache v0.0.0-20210331224755-41bb18bfe9da/go.mod h1:cIg4eruTrX1D+g88fzRXU5OdNfaM+9IcxsU14FzY7Hc=
 github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4 h1:i7eJL8qZTpSEXOPTxNKhASYpMn+8e5Q6AdndVa1dWek=
 github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4/go.mod h1:lnTiLA8Wa4RWRcIUkrtSVa5nRhsEGBg48fD6rSs7xps=
+github.com/google/cel-go v0.20.1 h1:nDx9r8S3L4pE61eDdt8igGj8rf5kjYR3ILxWIpWNi84=
+github.com/google/cel-go v0.20.1/go.mod h1:kWcIzTsPX0zmQ+H3TirHstLLf9ep5QTsZBN9u4dOYLg=
 github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.8 h1:yo/ABAfM5IMRsS1VnXjTBvUb61tFIHozhlYvRgGre9I=
 github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.8/go.mod h1:5n7qKqH0f5wFt+aWF8CW6pZLLNOfYuF5OpfBSENuI8U=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.5.9/go.mod h1:17dUlkBOakJ0+DkrSSNjCkIjxS6bF9zb3elmeNGIjoY=
@@ -48,8 +64,12 @@ github.com/google/pprof v0.0.0-20240525223248-4bfdf5a9a2af h1:kmjWCqn2qkEml422C2
 github.com/google/pprof v0.0.0-20240525223248-4bfdf5a9a2af/go.mod h1:K1liHPHnj73Fdn/EKuT8nrFqBihUSKXoLYU0BuatOYo=
 github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 h1:NIvaJDMOsjHA8n1jAhLSgzrAzy1Hgr+hNrb57e+94F0=
 github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0/go.mod h1:TIyPZe4MgqvfeYDBFedMoGGpEw/LqOeaOT+nhxU+yHo=
+github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.20.0 h1:bkypFPDjIYGfCYD5mRBvpqxfYX1YCS1PXdKYWi8FsN0=
+github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.20.0/go.mod h1:P+Lt/0by1T8bfcF3z737NnSbmxQAppXMRziHUxPOC8k=
 github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.6 h1:xTNEAn+kxVO7dTZGu0CegyqKZmoWFI0rF8UxjlB2d28=
 github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.6/go.mod h1:2EnlNZ0deacrJVfApfmtdGgDfMuh/nq6Ok1EcJh5FfA=
+github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 h1:wN+x4NVGpMsO7ErUn/mUI3vEoE6Jt13X2s0bqwp9tc8=
+github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0/go.mod h1:vpF70FUmC8bwa3OWnCshd2FqLfsEA9PFc4w1p2J65bw=
 github.com/josharian/intern v1.0.0 h1:vlS4z54oSdjm0bgjRigI+G1HpF+tI+9rE5LLzOg8HmY=
 github.com/josharian/intern v1.0.0/go.mod h1:5DoeVV0s6jJacbCEi61lwdGj/aVlrQvzHFFd8Hwg//Y=
 github.com/json-iterator/go v1.1.12 h1:PV8peI4a0ysnczrg+LtxykD8LfKY9ML6u2jnxaEnrnM=
@@ -93,12 +113,18 @@ github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.15.1 h1:YagwOFzUgYfKKHX6Dr+sHT7km/hxC76UB0leargg
 github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.15.1/go.mod h1:fB45yRUv8NstnjriLhBQLuOUt+WW4BsoGhij/e3PBqk=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.12.0 h1:exVL4IDcn6na9z1rAb56Vxr+CgyK3nn3O+epU5NdKM8=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.12.0/go.mod h1:E+RYuTGaKKdloAfM02xzb0FW3Paa99yedzYV+kq4uf4=
+github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0/go.mod h1:+Rmxgy9KzJVeS9/2gXHxylqXiyQDYRxCVz55jmeOWTM=
+github.com/spf13/cobra v1.8.1 h1:e5/vxKd/rZsfSJMUX1agtjeTDf+qv1/JdBF8gg5k9ZM=
+github.com/spf13/cobra v1.8.1/go.mod h1:wHxEcudfqmLYa8iTfL+OuZPbBZkmvliBWKIezN3kD9Y=
 github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.5 h1:iy+VFUOCP1a+8yFto/drg2CJ5u0yRoB7fZw3DKv/JXA=
 github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.5/go.mod h1:McXfInJRrz4CZXVZOBLb0bTZqETkiAhM9Iw0y3An2Bg=
+github.com/stoewer/go-strcase v1.2.0 h1:Z2iHWqGXH00XYgqDmNgQbIBxf3wrNq0F3feEy0ainaU=
+github.com/stoewer/go-strcase v1.2.0/go.mod h1:IBiWB2sKIp3wVVQ3Y035++gc+knqhUQag1KpM8ahLw8=
 github.com/stretchr/objx v0.1.0/go.mod h1:HFkY916IF+rwdDfMAkV7OtwuqBVzrE8GR6GFx+wExME=
 github.com/stretchr/objx v0.4.0/go.mod h1:YvHI0jy2hoMjB+UWwv71VJQ9isScKT/TqJzVSSt89Yw=
 github.com/stretchr/objx v0.5.0/go.mod h1:Yh+to48EsGEfYuaHDzXPcE3xhTkx73EhmCGUpEOglKo=
 github.com/stretchr/testify v1.3.0/go.mod h1:M5WIy9Dh21IEIfnGCwXGc5bZfKNJtfHm1UVUgZn+9EI=
+github.com/stretchr/testify v1.5.1/go.mod h1:5W2xD1RspED5o8YsWQXVCued0rvSQ+mT+I5cxcmMvtA=
 github.com/stretchr/testify v1.7.1/go.mod h1:6Fq8oRcR53rry900zMqJjRRixrwX3KX962/h/Wwjteg=
 github.com/stretchr/testify v1.8.0/go.mod h1:yNjHg4UonilssWZ8iaSj1OCr/vHnekPRkoO+kdMU+MU=
 github.com/stretchr/testify v1.8.1/go.mod h1:w2LPCIKwWwSfY2zedu0+kehJoqGctiVI29o6fzry7u4=
@@ -108,6 +134,22 @@ github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4 h1:qLwI1I70+NjRFUR3zs1JPUCgaCXSh3SW62uAKT1mSBM=
 github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4/go.mod h1:14CWIYCyZA/cWjXOioeEpHeN/83MdbZDRQHoFcYsOfg=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.1.27/go.mod h1:3hX8gzYuyVAZsxl0MRgGTJEmQBFcNTphYh9decYSb74=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.2.1/go.mod h1:3hX8gzYuyVAZsxl0MRgGTJEmQBFcNTphYh9decYSb74=
+go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.53.0 h1:4K4tsIXefpVJtvA/8srF4V4y0akAoPHkIslgAkjixJA=
+go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.53.0/go.mod h1:jjdQuTGVsXV4vSs+CJ2qYDeDPf9yIJV23qlIzBm73Vg=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.28.0 h1:/SqNcYk+idO0CxKEUOtKQClMK/MimZihKYMruSMViUo=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.28.0/go.mod h1:q68ijF8Fc8CnMHKyzqL6akLO46ePnjkgfIMIjUIX9z4=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace v1.28.0 h1:3Q/xZUyC1BBkualc9ROb4G8qkH90LXEIICcs5zv1OYY=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace v1.28.0/go.mod h1:s75jGIWA9OfCMzF0xr+ZgfrB5FEbbV7UuYo32ahUiFI=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracegrpc v1.27.0 h1:qFffATk0X+HD+f1Z8lswGiOQYKHRlzfmdJm0wEaVrFA=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracegrpc v1.27.0/go.mod h1:MOiCmryaYtc+V0Ei+Tx9o5S1ZjA7kzLucuVuyzBZloQ=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.28.0 h1:f0HGvSl1KRAU1DLgLGFjrwVyismPlnuU6JD6bOeuA5Q=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.28.0/go.mod h1:Fb1eVBFZmLVTMb6PPohq3TO9IIhUisDsbJoL/+uQW4s=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.28.0 h1:b9d7hIry8yZsgtbmM0DKyPWMMUMlK9NEKuIG4aBqWyE=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.28.0/go.mod h1:oYj7ClPUA7Iw3m+r7GeEjz0qckQRJK2B8zjcZEfu7Pg=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.28.0 h1:GhQ9cUuQGmNDd5BTCP2dAvv75RdMxEfTmYejp+lkx9g=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.28.0/go.mod h1:jPyXzNPg6da9+38HEwElrQiHlVMTnVfM3/yv2OlIHaI=
+go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.3.1 h1:TrMUixzpM0yuc/znrFTP9MMRh8trP93mkCiDVeXrui0=
+go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.3.1/go.mod h1:0X1WI4de4ZsLrrJNLAQbFeLCm3T7yBkR0XqQ7niQU+8=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.3.0 h1:2K3zAYmnTNqV73imy9J1T3WC+gmCePx2hEGkimedGto=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.3.0/go.mod h1:CoHD4mav9JJNrW/WLlf7HGZPjdw8EucARQHekz1X6bE=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 h1:blXXJkSxSSfBVBlC76pxqeO+LN3aDfLQo+309xJstO0=
@@ -132,6 +174,8 @@ golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.21.0/go.mod h1:XYTD2NtWslqkgxebSiOHnXEap4TF09sJSc7H1sXbht
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190423024810-112230192c58/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190911185100-cd5d95a43a6e/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20201020160332-67f06af15bc9/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.7.0 h1:YsImfSBoP9QPYL0xyKJPq0gcaJdG3rInoqxTWbfQu9M=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.7.0/go.mod h1:Czt+wKu1gCyEFDUtn0jG5QVvpJ6rzVqr5aXyt9drQfk=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190215142949-d0b11bdaac8a/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190412213103-97732733099d/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20200930185726-fdedc70b468f/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
@@ -157,6 +201,12 @@ golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20191204190536-9bdfabe68543/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8T
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20200804184101-5ec99f83aff1/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
 gomodules.xyz/jsonpatch/v2 v2.4.0 h1:Ci3iUJyx9UeRx7CeFN8ARgGbkESwJK+KB9lLcWxY/Zw=
 gomodules.xyz/jsonpatch/v2 v2.4.0/go.mod h1:AH3dM2RI6uoBZxn3LVrfvJ3E0/9dG4cSrbuBJT4moAY=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20240528184218-531527333157 h1:7whR9kGa5LUwFtpLm2ArCEejtnxlGeLbAyjFY8sGNFw=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20240528184218-531527333157/go.mod h1:99sLkeliLXfdj2J75X3Ho+rrVCaJze0uwN7zDDkjPVU=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20240701130421-f6361c86f094 h1:BwIjyKYGsK9dMCBOorzRri8MQwmi7mT9rGHsCEinZkA=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20240701130421-f6361c86f094/go.mod h1:Ue6ibwXGpU+dqIcODieyLOcgj7z8+IcskoNIgZxtrFY=
+google.golang.org/grpc v1.65.0 h1:bs/cUb4lp1G5iImFFd3u5ixQzweKizoZJAwBNLR42lc=
+google.golang.org/grpc v1.65.0/go.mod h1:WgYC2ypjlB0EiQi6wdKixMqukr6lBc0Vo+oOgjrM5ZQ=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v1.34.2 h1:6xV6lTsCfpGD21XK49h7MhtcApnLqkfYgPcdHftf6hg=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v1.34.2/go.mod h1:qYOHts0dSfpeUzUFpOMr/WGzszTmLH+DiWniOlNbLDw=
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
@@ -166,6 +216,7 @@ gopkg.in/evanphx/json-patch.v4 v4.12.0 h1:n6jtcsulIzXPJaxegRbvFNNrZDjbij7ny3gmSP
 gopkg.in/evanphx/json-patch.v4 v4.12.0/go.mod h1:p8EYWUEYMpynmqDbY58zCKCFZw8pRWMG4EsWvDvM72M=
 gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1 h1:73M5CoZyi3ZLMOyDlQh031Cx6N9NDJ2Vvfl76EDAgDc=
 gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1/go.mod h1:cWUDdTG/fYaXco+Dcufb5Vnc6Gp2YChqWtbxRZE0mXw=
+gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.2/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.8/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0 h1:D8xgwECY7CYvx+Y2n4sBz93Jn9JRvxdiyyo8CTfuKaY=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0/go.mod h1:RDklbk79AGWmwhnvt/jBztapEOGDOx6ZbXqjP6csGnQ=
@@ -178,14 +229,20 @@ k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.31.0 h1:fZgCVhGwsclj3qCw1buVXCV6khjRzKC5eCFt24
 k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.31.0/go.mod h1:b9aMDEYaEe5sdK+1T0KU78ApR/5ZVp4i56VacZYEHxk=
 k8s.io/apimachinery v0.31.0 h1:m9jOiSr3FoSSL5WO9bjm1n6B9KROYYgNZOb4tyZ1lBc=
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+k8s.io/apiserver v0.31.0 h1:p+2dgJjy+bk+B1Csz+mc2wl5gHwvNkC9QJV+w55LVrY=
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 k8s.io/client-go v0.31.0 h1:QqEJzNjbN2Yv1H79SsS+SWnXkBgVu4Pj3CJQgbx0gI8=
 k8s.io/client-go v0.31.0/go.mod h1:Y9wvC76g4fLjmU0BA+rV+h2cncoadjvjjkkIGoTLcGU=
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 sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20221116044647-bc3834ca7abd h1:EDPBXCAspyGV4jQlpZSudPeMmr1bNJefnuqLsRAsHZo=
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/internal/auth/authentication.go b/workspaces/backend/internal/auth/authentication.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..025b1233
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workspaces/backend/internal/auth/authentication.go
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2024.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package auth
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/authenticator"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/request/headerrequest"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/user"
+)
+
+// NewRequestAuthenticator returns a new request authenticator based on the provided configuration.
+func NewRequestAuthenticator(useridHeader string, useridPrefix string, groupsHeader string) (authenticator.Request, error) {
+
+	// create an upstream `requestHeaderAuthRequestHandler` to extract user and groups from the request headers
+	requestHeaderAuthenticator, err := headerrequest.New(
+		[]string{useridHeader},
+		[]string{groupsHeader},
+		nil,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create request header authenticator: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// if the user id prefix is empty, return the upstream authenticator as is
+	if useridPrefix == "" {
+		return requestHeaderAuthenticator, nil
+	}
+
+	// wrap the upstream authenticator to trim the user prefix from the user id
+	requestAuthenticator := authenticator.RequestFunc(func(req *http.Request) (*authenticator.Response, bool, error) {
+		response, ok, err := requestHeaderAuthenticator.AuthenticateRequest(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, false, err
+		}
+
+		// if the request was not authenticated, return the response as is
+		if !ok {
+			return response, ok, nil
+		}
+
+		// trim the user id prefix from the username
+		return &authenticator.Response{
+			User: &user.DefaultInfo{
+				Name:   strings.TrimPrefix(response.User.GetName(), useridPrefix),
+				Groups: response.User.GetGroups(),
+				Extra:  response.User.GetExtra(),
+			},
+		}, true, nil
+	})
+
+	return requestAuthenticator, nil
+}
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/internal/auth/authorization.go b/workspaces/backend/internal/auth/authorization.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..28aeec5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workspaces/backend/internal/auth/authorization.go
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2024.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package auth
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"time"
+
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/user"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authorization/authorizer"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authorization/authorizerfactory"
+	authorizationv1 "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/typed/authorization/v1"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
+)
+
+const (
+	allowCacheTTL = 10 * time.Second
+	denyCacheTTL  = 10 * time.Second
+)
+
+// NewRequestAuthorizer returns a new request authorizer based on the provided configuration.
+// loosely based on `WithAuthenticationAndAuthorization` from: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/controller-runtime/blob/v0.20.1/pkg/metrics/filters/filters.go#L36-L122
+func NewRequestAuthorizer(restConfig *rest.Config, httpClient *http.Client) (authorizer.Authorizer, error) {
+	authorizationV1Client, err := authorizationv1.NewForConfigAndClient(restConfig, httpClient)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	authorizerConfig := authorizerfactory.DelegatingAuthorizerConfig{
+		SubjectAccessReviewClient: authorizationV1Client,
+
+		// AllowCacheTTL is the length of time that a successful authorization response will be cached
+		AllowCacheTTL: allowCacheTTL,
+
+		// DenyCacheTTL is the length of time that a denied authorization response will be cached
+		DenyCacheTTL: denyCacheTTL,
+
+		// wait.Backoff is copied from: https://github.com/kubernetes/apiserver/blob/v0.29.0/pkg/server/options/authentication.go#L43-L50
+		// options.DefaultAuthWebhookRetryBackoff is not used to avoid a dependency on "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/options".
+		WebhookRetryBackoff: &wait.Backoff{
+			Duration: 500 * time.Millisecond,
+			Factor:   1.5,
+			Jitter:   0.2,
+			Steps:    5,
+		},
+	}
+
+	delegatingAuthorizer, err := authorizerConfig.New()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create authorizer: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return delegatingAuthorizer, nil
+}
+
+type ResourcePolicy struct {
+	Verb ResourceVerb
+
+	Group   string
+	Version string
+	Kind    string
+
+	Namespace string
+	Name      string
+}
+
+// NewResourcePolicy returns a new resource policy based on the provided verb and resource object.
+func NewResourcePolicy(verb ResourceVerb, object client.Object) *ResourcePolicy {
+	policy := &ResourcePolicy{
+		Verb:    verb,
+		Group:   object.GetObjectKind().GroupVersionKind().Group,
+		Version: object.GetObjectKind().GroupVersionKind().Version,
+		Kind:    object.GetObjectKind().GroupVersionKind().Kind,
+	}
+
+	if object.GetNamespace() != "" {
+		policy.Namespace = object.GetNamespace()
+	}
+
+	if object.GetName() != "" {
+		policy.Name = object.GetName()
+	}
+
+	return policy
+}
+
+// AttributesFor returns an authorizer.Attributes which could be used with an authorizer.Authorizer to authorize the user for the resource policy.
+func (p *ResourcePolicy) AttributesFor(u user.Info) authorizer.Attributes {
+	return authorizer.AttributesRecord{
+		User:            u,
+		Verb:            string(p.Verb),
+		Namespace:       p.Namespace,
+		APIGroup:        p.Group,
+		APIVersion:      p.Version,
+		Resource:        p.Kind,
+		Name:            p.Name,
+		ResourceRequest: true,
+	}
+}
+
+// ResourceVerb represents a verb for an action on a resource.
+type ResourceVerb string
+
+const (
+	ResourceVerbCreate ResourceVerb = "create"
+	ResourceVerbGet    ResourceVerb = "get"
+	ResourceVerbList   ResourceVerb = "list"
+	ResourceVerbUpdate ResourceVerb = "update"
+	ResourceVerbPatch  ResourceVerb = "patch"
+	ResourceVerbDelete ResourceVerb = "delete"
+)
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/internal/config/environment.go b/workspaces/backend/internal/config/environment.go
index 88a4c315..70dc3f37 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/internal/config/environment.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/internal/config/environment.go
@@ -18,4 +18,13 @@ package config
 
 type EnvConfig struct {
 	Port int
+
+	ClientQPS   float64
+	ClientBurst int
+
+	DisableAuth bool
+
+	UserIdHeader string
+	UserIdPrefix string
+	GroupsHeader string
 }
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/internal/helper/k8s.go b/workspaces/backend/internal/helper/k8s.go
index 2b8661c1..74532f8b 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/internal/helper/k8s.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/internal/helper/k8s.go
@@ -19,22 +19,11 @@ package helper
 import (
 	"fmt"
 
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
-	clientRest "k8s.io/client-go/rest"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
-
 	kubefloworgv1beta1 "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/controller/api/v1beta1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	clientgoscheme "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/scheme"
 )
 
-// GetKubeconfig returns the current KUBECONFIG configuration based on the default loading rules.
-func GetKubeconfig() (*clientRest.Config, error) {
-	loadingRules := clientcmd.NewDefaultClientConfigLoadingRules()
-	configOverrides := &clientcmd.ConfigOverrides{}
-	kubeConfig := clientcmd.NewNonInteractiveDeferredLoadingClientConfig(loadingRules, configOverrides)
-	return kubeConfig.ClientConfig()
-}
-
 // BuildScheme returns builds a new runtime scheme with all the necessary types registered.
 func BuildScheme() (*runtime.Scheme, error) {
 	scheme := runtime.NewScheme()