diff --git a/api/src/controllers/ChaptersController.kt b/api/src/controllers/ChaptersController.kt
index 1fab10d..c42f2eb 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/ChaptersController.kt
+++ b/api/src/controllers/ChaptersController.kt
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class ChaptersController(kodein: Kodein) : AuthCrudController("/notes/{noteTitle
         return this.parameters["chapterNumber"]?.toIntOrNull()
     }
 
-    override fun Routing.registerAuthRoutes() {
+    override fun Routing.routes() {
         TODO("Not yet implemented")
     }
 }
diff --git a/api/src/controllers/NotesController.kt b/api/src/controllers/NotesController.kt
index cec3c8d..5fdacb9 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/NotesController.kt
+++ b/api/src/controllers/NotesController.kt
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import org.kodein.di.generic.instance
 class NotesController(kodein: Kodein) : AuthCrudController("/notes", kodein) {
     private val notesService by kodein.instance<NotesService>()
 
-    override fun Routing.registerAuthRoutes() {
+    override fun Routing.routes() {
         get {
             val userId = call.userId()
             val notes = notesService.getNotes(userId)
diff --git a/api/src/controllers/RegisterController.kt b/api/src/controllers/RegisterController.kt
index 52d6a23..f0b1b5d 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/RegisterController.kt
+++ b/api/src/controllers/RegisterController.kt
@@ -4,8 +4,7 @@ import be.vandewalleh.controllers.base.KodeinController
 import io.ktor.routing.Routing
 import org.kodein.di.Kodein
 
-class RegisterController(kodein: Kodein): KodeinController(kodein){
-    override fun Routing.registerRoutes() {
-
+class RegisterController(kodein: Kodein) : KodeinController("", kodein) {
+    override fun Routing.routes() {
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/api/src/controllers/TitleController.kt b/api/src/controllers/TitleController.kt
index 3a60f95..0e7d432 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/TitleController.kt
+++ b/api/src/controllers/TitleController.kt
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ class TitleController(kodein: Kodein) : AuthCrudController("/notes/{noteTitle}",
 
     private class PatchRequestBody(val title: String? = null, val tags: List<String>? = null)
 
-    override fun Routing.registerAuthRoutes() {
+    override fun Routing.routes() {
         post {
             val title = call.noteTitle() ?: error("")
             val tags = call.receive<PostRequestBody>().tags
diff --git a/api/src/controllers/base/AuthCrudController.kt b/api/src/controllers/base/AuthCrudController.kt
index a69d9fc..b778f88 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/base/AuthCrudController.kt
+++ b/api/src/controllers/base/AuthCrudController.kt
@@ -3,36 +3,25 @@ package be.vandewalleh.controllers.base
 import be.vandewalleh.services.UserService
 import io.ktor.application.ApplicationCall
 import io.ktor.auth.UserIdPrincipal
-import io.ktor.auth.authenticate
 import io.ktor.auth.principal
-import io.ktor.routing.Route
-import io.ktor.routing.Routing
-import io.ktor.routing.route
 import org.kodein.di.Kodein
 import org.kodein.di.generic.instance
 
 abstract class AuthCrudController(
-    private val path: String,
+    path: String,
     override val kodein: Kodein
 ) :
-    KodeinController(kodein) {
+    KodeinController(path, kodein, auth = true) {
 
     private val userService by instance<UserService>()
 
+    /**
+     * retrieves the user email from the JWT token
+     */
     fun ApplicationCall.userEmail(): String =
         this.principal<UserIdPrincipal>()!!.name
 
     fun ApplicationCall.userId(): Int =
         userService.getUserId(userEmail())!!
 
-    abstract fun Routing.registerAuthRoutes()
-
-    override fun Routing.registerRoutes() {
-        authenticate {
-            route(path) {
-                this@registerRoutes.registerAuthRoutes()
-            }
-        }
-    }
 }
-
diff --git a/api/src/controllers/base/KodeinController.kt b/api/src/controllers/base/KodeinController.kt
index eb8e373..a4c46c4 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/base/KodeinController.kt
+++ b/api/src/controllers/base/KodeinController.kt
@@ -1,19 +1,40 @@
 package be.vandewalleh.controllers.base
 
 import io.ktor.application.ApplicationCall
+import io.ktor.auth.authenticate
 import io.ktor.http.HttpStatusCode
 import io.ktor.response.respond
 import io.ktor.routing.Routing
+import io.ktor.routing.route
 import org.kodein.di.Kodein
 import org.kodein.di.KodeinAware
 
-abstract class KodeinController(override val kodein: Kodein) : KodeinAware {
-
+abstract class KodeinController(
+    private val path: String,
+    override val kodein: Kodein,
+    private val auth: Boolean = false
+) : KodeinAware {
 
     /**
-     * Method that subtypes must override to register the handled [Routing] routes.
+     * Method that subtypes must override to declare their [Routing] routes.
      */
-    abstract fun Routing.registerRoutes()
+    abstract fun Routing.routes()
+
+
+    fun Routing.registerRoutes() {
+        if (auth) {
+            authenticate {
+                route(path) {
+                    this@registerRoutes.routes()
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            route(path) {
+                this@registerRoutes.routes()
+            }
+        }
+    }
 
     suspend fun ApplicationCall.respondStatus(status: HttpStatusCode) {
         this.respond(status, mapOf("message" to status.description))