diff --git a/check_es_cluster_status.py b/check_es_cluster_status.py
index e6878d4..329fe99 100644
--- a/check_es_cluster_status.py
+++ b/check_es_cluster_status.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from nagioscheck import PerformanceMetric, Status
 import urllib2
 import optparse
+import base64
 
 try:
     import json
@@ -18,14 +19,23 @@ def __init__(self):
 
         self.add_option('H', 'host', 'host', 'The cluster to check')
         self.add_option('P', 'port', 'port', 'The ES port - defaults to 9200')
+        self.add_option('u', 'username', 'username', 'Username for authentication')
+        self.add_option('p', 'password', 'password', 'password for authentication')
 
     def check(self, opts, args):
         host = opts.host
         port = int(opts.port or '9200')
+        username = opts.username
+        password = opts.password
 
         try:
-            response = urllib2.urlopen(r'http://%s:%d/_cluster/health'
-                                       % (host, port))
+            url = r'http://%s:%d/_cluster/health' % (host, port)
+            request = urllib2.Request(url)
+            if username is not None and password is not None:
+                base64string = base64.encodestring('%s:%s' % (username, password)).replace('\n', '')
+                request.add_header("Authorization", "Basic %s" % base64string)
+            response = urllib2.urlopen(request)
+
         except urllib2.HTTPError, e:
             raise Status('unknown', ("API failure", None,
                          "API failure:\n\n%s" % str(e)))
diff --git a/check_es_jvm_usage.py b/check_es_jvm_usage.py
index 444bd93..7eb595b 100644
--- a/check_es_jvm_usage.py
+++ b/check_es_jvm_usage.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from nagioscheck import PerformanceMetric, Status
 import urllib2
 import optparse
+import base64
 
 try:
     import json
@@ -18,6 +19,8 @@ def __init__(self):
 
         self.add_option('H', 'host', 'host', 'The cluster to check')
         self.add_option('P', 'port', 'port', 'The ES port - defaults to 9200')
+        self.add_option('u', 'username', 'username', 'Username for authentication')
+        self.add_option('p', 'password', 'password', 'password for authentication')
         self.add_option('C', 'critical_threshold', 'critical_threshold',
                         'The level at which we throw a CRITICAL alert'
                         ' - defaults to 97% of the JVM setting')
@@ -28,12 +31,19 @@ def __init__(self):
     def check(self, opts, args):
         host = opts.host
         port = int(opts.port or '9200')
+        username = opts.username
+        password = opts.password
         critical = int(opts.critical_threshold or '97')
         warning = int(opts.warning_threshold or '90')
 
         try:
-            response = urllib2.urlopen(r'http://%s:%d/_nodes/stats/jvm'
-                                       % (host, port))
+            url = r'http://%s:%d/_nodes/stats/jvm' % (host, port)
+            request = urllib2.Request(url)
+            if username is not None and password is not None:
+                base64string = base64.encodestring('%s:%s' % (username, password)).replace('\n', '')
+                request.add_header("Authorization", "Basic %s" % base64string)
+            response = urllib2.urlopen(request)
+
         except urllib2.HTTPError, e:
             raise Status('unknown', ("API failure", None,
                                      "API failure:\n\n%s" % str(e)))
diff --git a/check_es_nodes.py b/check_es_nodes.py
index ba7c0a1..7c7e3d8 100644
--- a/check_es_nodes.py
+++ b/check_es_nodes.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from nagioscheck import PerformanceMetric, Status
 import urllib2
 import optparse
+import base64
 
 try:
     import json
@@ -20,15 +21,24 @@ def __init__(self):
                         'This is the expected number of nodes in the cluster')
         self.add_option('H', 'host', 'host', 'The cluster to check')
         self.add_option('P', 'port', 'port', 'The ES port - defaults to 9200')
+        self.add_option('u', 'username', 'username', 'Username for authentication')
+        self.add_option('p', 'password', 'password', 'password for authentication')
 
     def check(self, opts, args):
         host = opts.host
         port = int(opts.port or '9200')
+        username = opts.username
+        password = opts.password
         nodes_in_cluster = int(opts.nodes_in_cluster)
 
         try:
-            response = urllib2.urlopen(r'http://%s:%d/_cluster/health'
-                                       % (host, port))
+            url = r'http://%s:%d/_cluster/health' % (host, port)
+            request = urllib2.Request(url)
+            if username is not None and password is not None:
+                base64string = base64.encodestring('%s:%s' % (username, password)).replace('\n', '')
+                request.add_header("Authorization", "Basic %s" % base64string)
+            response = urllib2.urlopen(request)
+
         except urllib2.HTTPError, e:
             raise Status('unknown', ("API failure", None, "API failure:\n\n%s"
                          % str(e)))
diff --git a/check_es_split_brain.py b/check_es_split_brain.py
index e3643d6..6e3f51c 100644
--- a/check_es_split_brain.py
+++ b/check_es_split_brain.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from nagioscheck import PerformanceMetric, Status
 import urllib2
 import optparse
+import base64
 
 try:
     import json
@@ -18,19 +19,26 @@ def __init__(self):
 
         self.add_option('N', 'nodes', 'nodes', 'Cluster nodes')
         self.add_option('P', 'port', 'port', 'The ES port - defaults to 9200')
+        self.add_option('u', 'username', 'username', 'Username for authentication')
+        self.add_option('p', 'password', 'password', 'password for authentication')
 
     def check(self, opts, args):
         nodes = opts.nodes.split(",")
         port = int(opts.port or '9200')
+        username = opts.username
+        password = opts.password
         masters = []
         responding_nodes = []
         failed_nodes = []
 
         for node in nodes:
             try:
-                response = urllib2.urlopen(
-                        r'http://%s:%d/_cluster/state/nodes,master_node/'
-                        % (node, port))
+                url = r'http://%s:%d/_cluster/state/nodes,master_node/' % (node, port)
+                request = urllib2.Request(url)
+                if username is not None and password is not None:
+                    base64string = base64.encodestring('%s:%s' % (username, password)).replace('\n', '')
+                    request.add_header("Authorization", "Basic %s" % base64string)
+                response = urllib2.urlopen(request)
                 response_body = response.read()
                 response = json.loads(response_body)
             except (urllib2.HTTPError, urllib2.URLError), e:
diff --git a/check_es_unassigned_shards.py b/check_es_unassigned_shards.py
index 46e3ef2..7f13361 100644
--- a/check_es_unassigned_shards.py
+++ b/check_es_unassigned_shards.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from nagioscheck import PerformanceMetric, Status
 import urllib2
 import optparse
+import base64
 
 try:
     import json
@@ -18,14 +19,23 @@ def __init__(self):
 
         self.add_option('H', 'host', 'host', 'The cluster to check')
         self.add_option('P', 'port', 'port', 'The ES port - defaults to 9200')
+        self.add_option('u', 'username', 'username', 'Username for authentication')
+        self.add_option('p', 'password', 'password', 'password for authentication')
 
     def check(self, opts, args):
         host = opts.host
         port = int(opts.port or '9200')
+        username = opts.username
+        password = opts.password
 
         try:
-            response = urllib2.urlopen(r'http://%s:%d/_cluster/health'
-                                       % (host, port))
+            url = r'http://%s:%d/_cluster/health' % (host, port)
+            request = urllib2.Request(url)
+            if username is not None and password is not None:
+                base64string = base64.encodestring('%s:%s' % (username, password)).replace('\n', '')
+                request.add_header("Authorization", "Basic %s" % base64string)
+            response = urllib2.urlopen(request)
+
         except urllib2.HTTPError, e:
             raise Status('unknown', ("API failure", None,
                          "API failure:\n\n%s" % str(e)))