diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d2fd3c1..707876b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -30,23 +30,21 @@ Examples:
         dserve                  Serves the current directory over http at :9011
         dserve -local           Serves the current directory on localhost:9011
         dserve -dir ~/dir       Serves the directory ~/dir over http 
-        dserve -secure          Serves the current directory with basicauth using sample .basicauth.json
-        dserve -secure -basicauth myauth.json
-                                Serves the current directory with basicauth using config file myauth.json
+        dserve -basic "guest:Pass1234"
+		 Serves the current directory with basicauth (only use this over  https)
 
 Flags:
-  -basicauth string
-        file to be used for basicauth json config (default ".basicauth.json")
   -dir string
         the directory to serve, defaults to current directory (default "./")
-  -local
-        whether to serve on all address or on localhost, default all addresses
+  -local bool
+	whether to only serve on localhost
   -port int
         the port to serve at, defaults 9011 (default 9011)
-  -secure
-        whether to create a basic_auth secured secure/ directory, default false
   -timeout duration
         http server read timeout, write timeout will be double this (default 3m0s)
+  -basicauth string
+	enable HTTP basic authentication, arguments should be USERNAME:PASSWORD 
+	example: dserve -basicauth "admin:passw0rd"
 ```
 
 
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 40f4dfc..4c45871 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 package main
 
 import (
-	"encoding/base64"
-	"encoding/json"
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"log"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
@@ -17,8 +14,7 @@ var (
 	dir       = flag.String("dir", "./", "the directory to serve, defaults to current directory")
 	port      = flag.Int("port", 9011, "the port to serve at, defaults 9011")
 	local     = flag.Bool("local", false, "whether to serve on all address or on localhost, default all addresses")
-	secure    = flag.Bool("secure", false, "whether to create a basic_auth secured secure/ directory, default false")
-	basicauth = flag.String("basicauth", ".basicauth.json", "file to be used for basicauth json config")
+	basicauth = flag.String("basicauth", "", "enable basic authentication")
 	timeout   = flag.Duration("timeout", time.Minute*3, "http server read timeout, write timeout will be double this")
 )
 
@@ -27,14 +23,13 @@ var usage = func() {
 
 Usage:
 	dserve
-	dserve [flags].. [directory]
+	dserve [flags]..
 
 Examples:
 	dserve 			Serves the current directory over http at :9011
 	dserve -local		Serves the current directory on localhost:9011
 	dserve -dir ~/dir	Serves the directory ~/dir over http 
-	dserve -secure		Serves the current directory with basicauth using sample .basicauth.json
-	dserve -secure -basicauth myauth.json
+	dserve -basicauth admin:Passw0rd
 				Serves the current directory with basicauth using config file myauth.json
 
 Flags:
@@ -46,7 +41,9 @@ Flags:
 func main() {
 	flag.Usage = usage
 	flag.Parse()
+
 	log.SetPrefix("dserve: ")
+
 	if err := os.Chdir(*dir); err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -54,38 +51,30 @@ func main() {
 	if *local {
 		addr = "localhost"
 	}
-	if *secure {
-		if err := authInit(); err != nil {
-			fmt.Printf("Basic Auth credentials %s missing: edit and rename %s.sample\n",
-				*basicauth, *basicauth)
-			os.Exit(1)
-		}
+	if err := authInit(*basicauth); err != nil {
+		fmt.Print("invalid basicauth flag value: value should be USERNAME:PASSWORD, e.g. dserve -basicauth admin:passw0rd")
+		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
 	listenAddr := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", addr, *port)
 	fmt.Printf("Launching dserve http server %s on %s\n", *dir, listenAddr)
-	if err := Serve(listenAddr, *secure, *timeout); err != nil {
+	if err := Serve(listenAddr, *timeout); err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Server crashed: %v", err)
 	}
 }
 
 // Serve launches HTTP server serving on listenAddr and servers a basic_auth secured directory at secure/static
-func Serve(listenAddr string, secureDir bool, timeout time.Duration) error {
+func Serve(listenAddr string, timeout time.Duration) error {
 	mux := http.NewServeMux()
 
 	fs := hideRootDotfiles(http.FileServer(http.Dir(".")))
 
-	switch secureDir {
-	case true:
-		if err := authInit(); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to initialize basic auth: %v", err)
-		}
-		fmt.Printf("BasicAuth enabled using credentials in %s\n", *basicauth)
-		mux.Handle("/", BASICAUTH(fs))
-	default:
-		mux.Handle("/", fs)
+	if creds != nil {
+		fs = BASICAUTH(fs)
 	}
 
+	mux.Handle("/", fs)
+
 	svr := &http.Server{
 		Addr:           listenAddr,
 		Handler:        mux,
@@ -127,62 +116,32 @@ type AuthCreds struct {
 	Password string `json:"password"`
 }
 
-// authInit initializes the secure directory
-func authInit() error {
-	// get creds
-	err := func() error {
-		// Read the securepass.json creds
-		_, err := getCreds()
-		return err
-	}()
-	if err != nil {
-		sample := &AuthCreds{Username: "example", Password: "pass123"}
-		d, err := json.MarshalIndent(sample, "", "	")
-		if err != nil {
-			log.Print(err)
-			return fmt.Errorf("internal error")
-		}
-		if err := ioutil.WriteFile(fmt.Sprintf("%s", *basicauth), d, 0644); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("unable to create sample file %s", *basicauth)
-		}
+var creds *AuthCreds // written during  initialization
+
+// authInit initializes basicauth
+func authInit(bAuth string) error {
+	if bAuth == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	i := strings.Index(bAuth, ":")
+	if i < 3 && i < len(bAuth)-1 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("invalid basicauth flag value")
+	}
+	creds = &AuthCreds{
+		Username: bAuth[:i],
+		Password: bAuth[i+1:],
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
 // validBasicAuth checks the basicauth authentication credentials
 func validBasicAuth(r *http.Request) bool {
-	creds, err := getCreds()
-	if err != nil {
+	if creds == nil {
 		return false
 	}
-	s := strings.SplitN(r.Header.Get("Authorization"), " ", 2)
-	if len(s) != 2 {
-		return false
-	}
-	b, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(s[1])
-	if err != nil {
-		return false
-	}
-	pair := strings.SplitN(string(b), ":", 2)
-	if len(pair) != 2 {
-		return false
-	}
-	return pair[0] == creds.Username && pair[1] == creds.Password
-}
-
-// getCreds gets the current http basic credentials
-func getCreds() (*AuthCreds, error) {
-	creds := &AuthCreds{}
-	sp, err := ioutil.ReadFile(*basicauth)
-	if err != nil {
-		return creds, err
-	}
-	err = json.Unmarshal(sp, &creds)
-	if err != nil {
-		return creds, err
-	}
-	if creds.Username == "" && creds.Password == "" {
-		return creds, fmt.Errorf("no username and password in %s", *basicauth)
+	u, p, ok := r.BasicAuth()
+	if !ok {
+		return ok
 	}
-	return creds, nil
+	return u == creds.Username && p == creds.Password
 }
diff --git a/main_test.go b/main_test.go
index 44626b5..33ad425 100644
--- a/main_test.go
+++ b/main_test.go
@@ -11,15 +11,32 @@ import (
 var fakeFSHandler = http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { fmt.Fprint(w, "fs") })
 
 func TestValidBasicAuth(t *testing.T) {
-	username, password := "tester", "pass123"
-	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", "/", nil)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
+	creds = &AuthCreds{
+		Username: "test",
+		Password: "want12345",
 	}
-	req.Header.Set("Authorization",
-		fmt.Sprintf("%s %s", username, base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString([]byte(password))))
-	if valid := validBasicAuth(req); valid {
-		t.Errorf("validbasicauth got %v want %v", valid, false)
+	var tests = []struct {
+		username string
+		password string
+		valid    bool
+	}{
+		{"tester", "abc", false},
+		{"test", "want12345", true},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", "/", nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("failed to create request: %v", err)
+			continue
+		}
+		auth := []byte(test.username + ":" + test.password)
+		req.Header.Set("Authorization",
+			fmt.Sprintf("Basic %s", base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(auth)))
+
+		valid := validBasicAuth(req)
+		if test.valid != valid {
+			t.Errorf("expected valid %t, got %t", test.valid, valid)
+		}
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/release.sh b/release.sh
index 5e96f23..7383c5f 100755
--- a/release.sh
+++ b/release.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-set -e
+set -e 
 
+# confirm goreleaser exists
 goreleaser --help 2>&1 >/dev/null
-if [ $? -gt 0 ]
-then
-	echo "FAILED: goreleaser binary not in path, you should:"
-	echo -e "\tgo get -u github.com/goreleaser/goreleaser"
-	exit 1
-fi
 
 go vet ./...