diff --git a/assets/js/session.js b/assets/js/session.js
index 4f4b09d..dfd1606 100644
--- a/assets/js/session.js
+++ b/assets/js/session.js
@@ -18,19 +18,20 @@ function Session(sInfo, sId, sUser)
 
 Session.prototype.loadUserJSON = function(data)
 {
+	this.username  = data.username;
 	this.email     = data.email;
 	this.firstname = data.firstname;
 	this.surname   = data.surname;
 
 	name = "";
-	if ('' == this.email) {
+	if ('' == this.username) {
 		name = "not logged in";
 		$("li.signup").removeClass("hide");
 		$("li.login").removeClass("hide");
 		$("li.logout").addClass("hide");
 	} else {
 		if ('' == this.firstname || '' == this.surname) {
-			name += this.email;
+			name += this.username;
 		} else {
 			name += this.firstname + " " + this.surname;
 		}
diff --git a/include/user.h b/include/user.h
index 583ab22..c3c89c3 100644
--- a/include/user.h
+++ b/include/user.h
@@ -27,15 +27,27 @@
 
 #include "class.h"
 #include "uuid.h"
+#include "auth.h"
 #include "storage/storage.h"
 
 CLASS(User) {
-	unsigned long   hash;
-
+	unsigned long hash;
+	AuthModule    auth_type;
+
+	/**
+	 * username holds the identifier of the user.
+	 * For ldap users this is the common name.
+	 * For registered users this is their email
+	 * address.
+	 * The UUID of the user is created from this
+	 * username.
+	 */
+	char          * username;
 	char          * email;
 	char          * firstname;
 	char          * surname;
 
+	size_t        * nusername;
 	size_t        * nemail;
 	size_t        * nfirstname;
 	size_t        * nsurname;
diff --git a/src/application/controller/_process_user_create_args.c b/src/application/controller/_process_user_create_args.c
index a00faf6..f662207 100644
--- a/src/application/controller/_process_user_create_args.c
+++ b/src/application/controller/_process_user_create_args.c
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ _controllerProcessUserCreateArgs(Hash args, User * user, Credential * cred)
 			(char *)(password->value), password->nvalue);
 
 	*user = new(User,
+			(char *)(email->value), email->nvalue,
 			(char *)(email->value), email->nvalue,
 			(char *)(firstname->value), firstname->nvalue,
 			(char *)(surname->value), surname->nvalue);
diff --git a/src/application/controller/currentuser/read.c b/src/application/controller/currentuser/read.c
index 90e676f..4a3796d 100644
--- a/src/application/controller/currentuser/read.c
+++ b/src/application/controller/currentuser/read.c
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 
 #define USER_JSON \
-	"{\"email\":\"%s\",\"firstname\":\"%s\",\"surname\":\"%s\"}"
+	"{\"username\":\"%s\",\"email\":\"%s\",\"firstname\":\"%s\",\"surname\":\"%s\"}"
 
 char *
 controllerCurrentuserRead(Application app, Session sess, Hash args)
@@ -43,11 +43,13 @@ controllerCurrentuserRead(Application app, Session sess, Hash args)
 	size_t   nbuffer;
 
 	nbuffer = snprintf(NULL, 0, USER_JSON,
+			(NULL != sess->user)? sess->user->username : "",
 			(NULL != sess->user)? sess->user->email : "",
 			(NULL != sess->user)? sess->user->firstname : "",
 			(NULL != sess->user)? sess->user->surname : "");
 	buffer  = memMalloc(nbuffer);
 	nbuffer = sprintf(buffer, USER_JSON,
+			(NULL != sess->user)? sess->user->username : "",
 			(NULL != sess->user)? sess->user->email : "",
 			(NULL != sess->user)? sess->user->firstname : "",
 			(NULL != sess->user)? sess->user->surname : "");
diff --git a/src/application/login.c b/src/application/login.c
index 039e15e..2168f50 100644
--- a/src/application/login.c
+++ b/src/application/login.c
@@ -44,64 +44,86 @@ applicationLogin(
 		Credential  credential,
 		Session     session)
 {
-	size_t i;
-	Uuid   search;
-	int    authenticated = 0;
+	Uuid       search;
+	AuthModule auth_module;
 
-	User   user = new(User, NULL);
+	User user = new(User, NULL);
 
-	user->email  = CRED_PWD(credential).user;
-	user->nemail = &CRED_PWD(credential).nuser;
+	user->username  = CRED_PWD(credential).user;
+	user->nusername = &CRED_PWD(credential).nuser;
 	search = indexUuid(user, this->user_namespace);
 
-	for (i=0; i<this->nauth; i++) {
-		if (authenticate(this->auth[i], credential, search)) {
-			session->user = user;
-
-			switch (credential->type) {
-				case CRED_PASSWORD:
-					{
-						char   * user_serialized;
-						size_t   nuser_serialized;
-
-						storageGet(
-								this->users, 
-								(char *)(search->uuid).value,
-								sizeof((search->uuid).value),
-								&user_serialized,
-								&nuser_serialized);
-
-						if (NULL != user_serialized) {
-							unserialize(
-									session->user,
-									(unsigned char *)user_serialized,
-									nuser_serialized);
-							MEM_FREE(user_serialized);
-						} else {
-							// this is a user authenticated via another method
-							// than the password database and has not yet set
-							// additional user informations.
-							session->user = NULL;
-							delete(session->user);
-							session->user = new(User,
-									CRED_PWD(credential).user,
-									CRED_PWD(credential).nuser,
-									CSTRA(""),
-									CSTRA(""));
-						}
-					}
-					break;
-
-				default:
-					break;
-			}
-
-			authenticated = 1;
-			break;
+	auth_module = authenticate(this->auth, credential, search);
+
+	if (0 != auth_module) {
+		char   * user_serialized;
+		size_t   nuser_serialized;
+
+		session->user = user;
+
+		switch (credential->type) {
+			case CRED_PASSWORD:
+				storageGet(
+						this->users, 
+						(char *)(search->uuid).value,
+						sizeof((search->uuid).value),
+						&user_serialized,
+						&nuser_serialized);
+
+				if (NULL != user_serialized) {
+					unserialize(
+							session->user,
+							(unsigned char *)user_serialized,
+							nuser_serialized);
+					MEM_FREE(user_serialized);
+				} else {
+					/**
+					 * this is a user authenticated via another method
+					 * than the password database and has not yet
+					 * logged in.
+					 * NOTE: first we have to remove the search user and
+					 * as username is initialized with something that we
+					 * will free later here we must set it to NULL so that
+					 * the delete will not free it.
+					 */
+					session->user->username = NULL;
+					delete(session->user);
+					session->user = new(User,
+							CRED_PWD(credential).user,
+							CRED_PWD(credential).nuser,
+							CSTRA(""),
+							CSTRA(""),
+							CSTRA(""));
+
+					serialize(
+							session->user,
+							(unsigned char **)&user_serialized,
+							&nuser_serialized);
+					/**
+					 * \todo
+					 * Handle error...if this fails we have most likely
+					 * a collision.
+					 */
+					storagePut(
+							this->users, 
+							(char *)(search->uuid).value,
+							sizeof((search->uuid).value),
+							user_serialized,
+							nuser_serialized);
+					MEM_FREE(user_serialized);
+				}
+
+				session->user->auth_type = auth_module;
+				break;
+
+			default:
+				break;
 		}
+
+		return TRUE;
 	}
 
-	return authenticated;
+	return FALSE;
 }
 
 // vim: set ts=4 sw=4:
diff --git a/src/user/user.c b/src/user/user.c
index e7cdb10..5d2bdc3 100644
--- a/src/user/user.c
+++ b/src/user/user.c
@@ -34,10 +34,12 @@ static
 int
 userCtor(void * _this, va_list * params)
 {
-	User   this  = _this;
-	char * email = va_arg(* params, char *);
+	User   this     = _this;
+	char * username = va_arg(* params, char *);
 
-	if (NULL != email) {
+	if (NULL != username) {
+		size_t   nusername  = va_arg(* params, size_t);
+		char   * email      = va_arg(* params, char *);
 		size_t   nemail     = va_arg(* params, size_t);
 		char   * firstname  = va_arg(* params, char *);
 		size_t   nfirstname = va_arg(* params, size_t);
@@ -45,12 +47,17 @@ userCtor(void * _this, va_list * params)
 		size_t   nsurname   = va_arg(* params, size_t);
 
 		size_t storage_size = 
+			nusername + 1 +
 			nemail + 1 +
 			nfirstname + 1 +
 			nsurname + 1 +
-			3 * sizeof(size_t);
+			4 * sizeof(size_t);
 
-		this->email = memMalloc(storage_size);
+		this->username = memMalloc(storage_size);
+		memcpy(this->username, username, nusername);
+		this->username[nusername] = '\0';
+
+		this->email = this->username + nusername + 1;
 		memcpy(this->email, email, nemail);
 		this->email[nemail] = '\0';
 
@@ -62,7 +69,10 @@ userCtor(void * _this, va_list * params)
 		memcpy(this->surname, surname, nsurname);
 		this->surname[nsurname] = '\0';
 
-		this->nemail  = (size_t *)(this->surname + nsurname + 1);
+		this->nusername  = (size_t *)(this->surname + nsurname + 1);
+		*this->nusername = nusername;
+
+		this->nemail  = this->nusername + 1;
 		*this->nemail = nemail;
 
 		this->nfirstname  = this->nemail + 1;
@@ -81,8 +91,8 @@ userDtor(void * _this)
 {
 	User this = _this;
 
-	if (NULL != this->email) {
-		MEM_FREE(this->email);
+	if (NULL != this->username) {
+		MEM_FREE(this->username);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -96,14 +106,15 @@ userSerialize(
 	User this = _this;
 
 	*nserialized =
+		*this->nusername + 1 +
 		*this->nemail + 1 +
 		*this->nfirstname + 1 +
 		*this->nsurname + 1 + 
-		3 * sizeof(size_t); 
+		4 * sizeof(size_t); 
 
 	*serialized = memMalloc(*nserialized);
 
-	memcpy(*serialized, this->email, *nserialized);
+	memcpy(*serialized, this->username, *nserialized);
 }
 
 static
@@ -116,16 +127,18 @@ userUnserialize(
 	User     this = _this;
 	size_t * user_data_sizes;
 
-	this->email = memMalloc(nserialized);
-	memcpy(this->email, serialized, nserialized);
+	this->username = memMalloc(nserialized);
+	memcpy(this->username, serialized, nserialized);
 
 	user_data_sizes =
-		(size_t *)(this->email + nserialized - 3 * sizeof(size_t));
+		(size_t *)(this->username + nserialized - 4 * sizeof(size_t));
 
-	this->nemail     = user_data_sizes;
-	this->nfirstname = user_data_sizes + 1;
-	this->nsurname   = user_data_sizes + 2;
+	this->nusername  = user_data_sizes;
+	this->nemail     = user_data_sizes + 1;
+	this->nfirstname = user_data_sizes + 2;
+	this->nsurname   = user_data_sizes + 3;
 
+	this->email     = this->username + *this->nusername + 1;
 	this->firstname = this->email + *this->nemail + 1;
 	this->surname   = this->firstname + *this->nfirstname + 1;
 }
@@ -137,8 +150,8 @@ userIndexUuid(void * _this, Uuid namespace)
 	User this = _this;
 
 	return uuidVersion3(
-			(unsigned char *)this->email,
-			*this->nemail,
+			(unsigned char *)this->username,
+			*this->nusername,
 			namespace);
 }