diff --git a/.changeset/bright-ears-visit.md b/.changeset/bright-ears-visit.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..350cc5b094
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/bright-ears-visit.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/app-defaults': patch
+---
+
+Added an instance of PermissionApi to the apis included by default in createApp.
diff --git a/.changeset/famous-icons-pump.md b/.changeset/famous-icons-pump.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c2a5f07292
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/famous-icons-pump.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-permission-react': minor
+---
+
+Breaking Changes:
+
+- Remove "api" suffixes from constructor parameters in IdentityPermissionApi.create
+
+```diff
+  const { config, discovery, identity } = options;
+-  const permissionApi = IdentityPermissionApi.create({
+-    configApi: config,
+-    discoveryApi: discovery,
+-    identityApi: identity
+-  });
++  const permissionApi = IdentityPermissionApi.create({ config, discovery, identity });
+```
diff --git a/.changeset/lazy-files-check.md b/.changeset/lazy-files-check.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..54c53be434
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/lazy-files-check.md
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+---
+'@backstage/backend-common': minor
+---
+
+Auto-generate secrets for backend-to-backend auth in local development environments.
+
+When NODE_ENV is 'development', the ServerTokenManager will now generate a secret for backend-to-backend auth to make it simpler to work locally on Backstage instances that use backend-to-backend auth. For production deployments, a secret must still be manually configured as described in [the backend-to-backend auth tutorial](https://backstage.io/docs/tutorials/backend-to-backend-auth).
+
+After the change, the static `fromConfig` method on the `ServerTokenManager` requires a logger.
+
+```diff
+-  const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(config);
++  const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(config, { logger: root });
+```
diff --git a/.changeset/real-geckos-work.md b/.changeset/real-geckos-work.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..549445e079
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/real-geckos-work.md
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-permission-common': minor
+---
+
+- Add `PermissionAuthorizer` interface matching `PermissionClient` to allow alternative implementations like the `ServerPermissionClient` in @backstage/plugin-permission-node.
+
+Breaking Changes:
+
+- Remove "api" suffixes from constructor parameters in PermissionClient
+
+```diff
+  const { config, discovery } = options;
+-  const permissionClient = new PermissionClient({ discoveryApi: discovery, configApi: config });
++  const permissionClient = new PermissionClient({ discovery, config });
+```
diff --git a/.changeset/wet-bikes-pull.md b/.changeset/wet-bikes-pull.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1c1c98b253
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/wet-bikes-pull.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-permission-node': patch
+---
+
+Add `ServerPermissionClient`, which implements `PermissionAuthorizer` from @backstage/plugin-permission-common. This implementation skips authorization entirely when the supplied token is a valid backend-to-backend token, thereby allowing backend-to-backend systems to communicate without authorization.
+
+The `ServerPermissionClient` should always be used over the standard `PermissionClient` in plugin backends.
diff --git a/docs/tutorials/backend-to-backend-auth.md b/docs/tutorials/backend-to-backend-auth.md
index 3cb72a4827..cd73a95c89 100644
--- a/docs/tutorials/backend-to-backend-auth.md
+++ b/docs/tutorials/backend-to-backend-auth.md
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ resulting value.
 node -p 'require("crypto").randomBytes(24).toString("base64")'
 ```
 
+**NOTE**: For ease of development, we auto-generate a key for you if you haven't
+configured a secret in dev mode. You _must set your own secret_ in order for
+backend-to-backend authentication to work in production.
+
 Requests originating from a backend plugin can be authenticated by decorating
 them with a backend token. Backend tokens can be generated using a
 `TokenManager`, which can be passed to plugin backends via the
@@ -43,7 +47,7 @@ function makeCreateEnv(config: Config) {
   const cacheManager = CacheManager.fromConfig(config);
   const databaseManager = DatabaseManager.fromConfig(config);
 - const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.noop();
-+ const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(config);
++ const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(config, { logger: root });
 ```
 
 With this `tokenManager`, you can then generate a server token for requests:
diff --git a/microsite/sidebars.json b/microsite/sidebars.json
index d41aab4f7a..4750e1d49d 100644
--- a/microsite/sidebars.json
+++ b/microsite/sidebars.json
@@ -271,7 +271,8 @@
       "tutorials/migrating-away-from-core",
       "tutorials/configuring-plugin-databases",
       "tutorials/switching-sqlite-postgres",
-      "tutorials/using-backstage-proxy-within-plugin"
+      "tutorials/using-backstage-proxy-within-plugin",
+      "tutorials/backend-to-backend-auth"
     ],
     "Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)": [
       "architecture-decisions/adrs-overview",
diff --git a/packages/app-defaults/package.json b/packages/app-defaults/package.json
index fc1bca2104..80ff8dc29b 100644
--- a/packages/app-defaults/package.json
+++ b/packages/app-defaults/package.json
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
     "@backstage/core-components": "^0.8.0",
     "@backstage/core-app-api": "^0.2.0",
     "@backstage/core-plugin-api": "^0.3.0",
+    "@backstage/plugin-permission-react": "^0.1.1",
     "@backstage/theme": "^0.2.14",
     "@material-ui/core": "^4.12.2",
     "@material-ui/icons": "^4.9.1",
diff --git a/packages/app-defaults/src/defaults/apis.ts b/packages/app-defaults/src/defaults/apis.ts
index 29aa62bdab..f26c298fb1 100644
--- a/packages/app-defaults/src/defaults/apis.ts
+++ b/packages/app-defaults/src/defaults/apis.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ import {
   bitbucketAuthApiRef,
   atlassianAuthApiRef,
 } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
+import {
+  permissionApiRef,
+  IdentityPermissionApi,
+} from '@backstage/plugin-permission-react';
 
 export const apis = [
   createApiFactory({
@@ -296,4 +300,14 @@ export const apis = [
       });
     },
   }),
+  createApiFactory({
+    api: permissionApiRef,
+    deps: {
+      discovery: discoveryApiRef,
+      identity: identityApiRef,
+      config: configApiRef,
+    },
+    factory: ({ config, discovery, identity }) =>
+      IdentityPermissionApi.create({ config, discovery, identity }),
+  }),
 ];
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/api-report.md b/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
index cbdfba3c38..061931832d 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
@@ -493,7 +493,12 @@ export class ServerTokenManager implements TokenManager {
   // (undocumented)
   authenticate(token: string): Promise<void>;
   // (undocumented)
-  static fromConfig(config: Config): ServerTokenManager;
+  static fromConfig(
+    config: Config,
+    options: {
+      logger: Logger_2;
+    },
+  ): ServerTokenManager;
   // (undocumented)
   getToken(): Promise<{
     token: string;
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/tokens/ServerTokenManager.test.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/tokens/ServerTokenManager.test.ts
index fe724a0a4b..1799291544 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/src/tokens/ServerTokenManager.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/tokens/ServerTokenManager.test.ts
@@ -13,23 +13,35 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
+import { getVoidLogger } from '../logging/voidLogger';
 import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
-import { TokenManager } from './types';
 import { ServerTokenManager } from './ServerTokenManager';
+import { Logger } from 'winston';
+import { JWK } from 'jose';
+import { TokenManager } from './types';
 
 const emptyConfig = new ConfigReader({});
 const configWithSecret = new ConfigReader({
   backend: { auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'a-secret-key' }] } },
 });
+const env = process.env;
+let logger: Logger;
 
 describe('ServerTokenManager', () => {
-  it('should throw if secret in config does not exist', () => {
-    expect(() => ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(emptyConfig)).toThrowError();
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    process.env = { ...env };
+    logger = getVoidLogger();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    process.env = env;
   });
 
   describe('getToken', () => {
-    it('should return a token if secret in config exists', async () => {
-      const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret);
+    it('should return a token', async () => {
+      const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret, {
+        logger,
+      });
       expect((await tokenManager.getToken()).token).toBeDefined();
     });
 
@@ -41,21 +53,29 @@ describe('ServerTokenManager', () => {
 
   describe('authenticate', () => {
     it('should not throw if token is valid', async () => {
-      const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret);
+      const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret, {
+        logger,
+      });
       const { token } = await tokenManager.getToken();
       await expect(tokenManager.authenticate(token)).resolves.not.toThrow();
     });
 
     it('should throw if token is invalid', async () => {
-      const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret);
+      const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret, {
+        logger,
+      });
       await expect(
         tokenManager.authenticate('random-string'),
       ).rejects.toThrowError(/invalid server token/i);
     });
 
     it('should validate server tokens created by a different instance using the same secret', async () => {
-      const tokenManager1 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret);
-      const tokenManager2 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret);
+      const tokenManager1 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret, {
+        logger,
+      });
+      const tokenManager2 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret, {
+        logger,
+      });
 
       const { token } = await tokenManager1.getToken();
 
@@ -67,11 +87,13 @@ describe('ServerTokenManager', () => {
         new ConfigReader({
           backend: { auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'a1b2c3' }] } },
         }),
+        { logger },
       );
       const tokenManager2 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(
         new ConfigReader({
           backend: { auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'd4e5f6' }] } },
         }),
+        { logger },
       );
       const tokenManager3 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(
         new ConfigReader({
@@ -79,6 +101,7 @@ describe('ServerTokenManager', () => {
             auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'a1b2c3' }, { secret: 'd4e5f6' }] },
           },
         }),
+        { logger },
       );
 
       const { token: token1 } = await tokenManager1.getToken();
@@ -93,11 +116,13 @@ describe('ServerTokenManager', () => {
         new ConfigReader({
           backend: { auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'a1b2c3' }] } },
         }),
+        { logger },
       );
       const tokenManager2 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(
         new ConfigReader({
           backend: { auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'd4e5f6' }] } },
         }),
+        { logger },
       );
 
       const { token } = await tokenManager1.getToken();
@@ -113,6 +138,7 @@ describe('ServerTokenManager', () => {
         new ConfigReader({
           backend: { auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'a1b2c3' }] } },
         }),
+        { logger },
       );
 
       const { token } = await noopTokenManager.getToken();
@@ -121,37 +147,94 @@ describe('ServerTokenManager', () => {
         /invalid server token/i,
       );
     });
+
+    it('should throw for server tokens created by a different generated secret', async () => {
+      (process.env as any).NODE_ENV = 'development';
+      const tokenManager1 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(
+        new ConfigReader({
+          backend: { auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'a1b2c3' }] } },
+        }),
+        { logger },
+      );
+      const tokenManager2 = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(emptyConfig, {
+        logger,
+      });
+
+      const { token } = await tokenManager2.getToken();
+
+      await expect(tokenManager1.authenticate(token)).rejects.toThrowError(
+        /invalid server token/i,
+      );
+    });
   });
 
-  describe('ServerTokenManager.fromConfig', () => {
-    it('should throw if backend auth configuration is missing', () => {
-      expect(() =>
-        ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(new ConfigReader({})),
-      ).toThrow();
+  describe('fromConfig', () => {
+    describe('NODE_ENV === production', () => {
+      it('should throw if backend auth configuration is missing', () => {
+        expect(() =>
+          ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(emptyConfig, { logger }),
+        ).toThrow();
+      });
+
+      it('should throw if no keys are included in the configuration', () => {
+        expect(() =>
+          ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(
+            new ConfigReader({
+              backend: { auth: { keys: [] } },
+            }),
+            { logger },
+          ),
+        ).toThrow();
+      });
+
+      it('should throw if any key is missing a secret property', () => {
+        expect(() =>
+          ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(
+            new ConfigReader({
+              backend: {
+                auth: {
+                  keys: [{ secret: '123' }, {}, { secret: '789' }],
+                },
+              },
+            }),
+            { logger },
+          ),
+        ).toThrow();
+      });
     });
 
-    it('should throw if no keys are included in the configuration', () => {
-      expect(() =>
+    describe('NODE_ENV === development', () => {
+      const generateSyncSpy = jest.spyOn(JWK, 'generateSync');
+
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        (process.env as any).NODE_ENV = 'development';
+      });
+
+      afterEach(() => {
+        jest.clearAllMocks();
+      });
+
+      it('should generate a key if no config is provided', () => {
+        ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(emptyConfig, { logger });
+
+        expect(generateSyncSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith('oct', 192);
+      });
+
+      it('should generate a key if no keys are provided in the configuration', () => {
         ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(
           new ConfigReader({
             backend: { auth: { keys: [] } },
           }),
-        ),
-      ).toThrow();
-    });
+          { logger },
+        );
 
-    it('should throw if any key is missing a secret property', () => {
-      expect(() =>
-        ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(
-          new ConfigReader({
-            backend: {
-              auth: {
-                keys: [{ secret: '123' }, {}, { secret: '789' }],
-              },
-            },
-          }),
-        ),
-      ).toThrow();
+        expect(generateSyncSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith('oct', 192);
+      });
+
+      it('should use provided secrets if config is provided', () => {
+        ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret, { logger });
+        expect(generateSyncSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      });
     });
   });
 
@@ -180,7 +263,9 @@ describe('ServerTokenManager', () => {
     });
 
     it('should accept signed tokens', async () => {
-      const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret);
+      const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(configWithSecret, {
+        logger,
+      });
       await expect(
         noopTokenManager.authenticate((await tokenManager.getToken()).token),
       ).resolves.not.toThrow();
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/tokens/ServerTokenManager.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/tokens/ServerTokenManager.ts
index 35a07509b6..d6693edba1 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/src/tokens/ServerTokenManager.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/tokens/ServerTokenManager.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,11 @@ import { JWKS, JWK, JWT } from 'jose';
 import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
 import { AuthenticationError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { TokenManager } from './types';
+import { Logger } from 'winston';
 
 class NoopTokenManager implements TokenManager {
+  public readonly isInsecureServerTokenManager: boolean = true;
+
   async getToken() {
     return { token: '' };
   }
@@ -41,16 +44,32 @@ export class ServerTokenManager implements TokenManager {
     return new NoopTokenManager();
   }
 
-  static fromConfig(config: Config) {
-    return new ServerTokenManager(
-      config
-        .getConfigArray('backend.auth.keys')
-        .map(key => key.getString('secret')),
+  static fromConfig(config: Config, options: { logger: Logger }) {
+    const { logger } = options;
+
+    const keys = config.getOptionalConfigArray('backend.auth.keys');
+    if (keys?.length) {
+      return new ServerTokenManager(keys.map(key => key.getString('secret')));
+    }
+    if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'development') {
+      throw new Error(
+        'You must configure at least one key in backend.auth.keys for production.',
+      );
+    }
+
+    // For development, if a secret has not been configured, we auto generate a secret instead of throwing.
+    const generatedDevOnlyKey = JWK.generateSync('oct', 24 * 8);
+    if (generatedDevOnlyKey.k === undefined) {
+      throw new Error('Internal error, JWK key generation returned no data');
+    }
+    logger.warn(
+      'Generated a secret for backend-to-backend authentication: DEVELOPMENT USE ONLY.',
     );
+    return new ServerTokenManager([generatedDevOnlyKey.k]);
   }
 
-  private constructor(secrets?: string[]) {
-    if (!secrets?.length) {
+  private constructor(secrets: string[]) {
+    if (!secrets.length) {
       throw new Error(
         'No secrets provided when constructing ServerTokenManager',
       );
diff --git a/packages/backend/package.json b/packages/backend/package.json
index 80ae3b0998..491ecedbb2 100644
--- a/packages/backend/package.json
+++ b/packages/backend/package.json
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@
     "@backstage/plugin-jenkins-backend": "^0.1.9",
     "@backstage/plugin-kubernetes-backend": "^0.4.0",
     "@backstage/plugin-kafka-backend": "^0.2.12",
+    "@backstage/plugin-permission-backend": "^0.2.0",
+    "@backstage/plugin-permission-common": "^0.2.0",
+    "@backstage/plugin-permission-node": "^0.2.0",
     "@backstage/plugin-proxy-backend": "^0.2.14",
     "@backstage/plugin-rollbar-backend": "^0.1.16",
     "@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend": "^0.15.17",
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/index.ts b/packages/backend/src/index.ts
index 7a79c278ff..94c2d88012 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/index.ts
@@ -55,13 +55,19 @@ import graphql from './plugins/graphql';
 import app from './plugins/app';
 import badges from './plugins/badges';
 import jenkins from './plugins/jenkins';
+import permission from './plugins/permission';
 import { PluginEnvironment } from './types';
+import { ServerPermissionClient } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-node';
 
 function makeCreateEnv(config: Config) {
   const root = getRootLogger();
   const reader = UrlReaders.default({ logger: root, config });
   const discovery = SingleHostDiscovery.fromConfig(config);
-  const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.noop();
+  const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(config, { logger: root });
+  const permissions = ServerPermissionClient.fromConfig(config, {
+    discovery,
+    tokenManager,
+  });
 
   root.info(`Created UrlReader ${reader}`);
 
@@ -72,7 +78,16 @@ function makeCreateEnv(config: Config) {
     const logger = root.child({ type: 'plugin', plugin });
     const database = databaseManager.forPlugin(plugin);
     const cache = cacheManager.forPlugin(plugin);
-    return { logger, cache, database, config, reader, discovery, tokenManager };
+    return {
+      logger,
+      cache,
+      database,
+      config,
+      reader,
+      discovery,
+      tokenManager,
+      permissions,
+    };
   };
 }
 
@@ -114,6 +129,7 @@ async function main() {
   const techInsightsEnv = useHotMemoize(module, () =>
     createEnv('tech-insights'),
   );
+  const permissionEnv = useHotMemoize(module, () => createEnv('permission'));
 
   const apiRouter = Router();
   apiRouter.use('/catalog', await catalog(catalogEnv));
@@ -132,6 +148,7 @@ async function main() {
   apiRouter.use('/graphql', await graphql(graphqlEnv));
   apiRouter.use('/badges', await badges(badgesEnv));
   apiRouter.use('/jenkins', await jenkins(jenkinsEnv));
+  apiRouter.use('/permission', await permission(permissionEnv));
   apiRouter.use(notFoundHandler());
 
   const service = createServiceBuilder(module)
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/plugins/permission.ts b/packages/backend/src/plugins/permission.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..71a9b90311
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend/src/plugins/permission.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * 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.
+ */
+
+import { IdentityClient } from '@backstage/plugin-auth-backend';
+import { createRouter } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-backend';
+import { AuthorizeResult } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
+import {
+  PermissionPolicy,
+  PolicyDecision,
+} from '@backstage/plugin-permission-node';
+import { Router } from 'express';
+import { PluginEnvironment } from '../types';
+
+class AllowAllPermissionPolicy implements PermissionPolicy {
+  async handle(): Promise<PolicyDecision> {
+    return {
+      result: AuthorizeResult.ALLOW,
+    };
+  }
+}
+
+export default async function createPlugin(
+  env: PluginEnvironment,
+): Promise<Router> {
+  const { logger, discovery } = env;
+  return await createRouter({
+    logger,
+    discovery,
+    policy: new AllowAllPermissionPolicy(),
+    identity: new IdentityClient({
+      discovery,
+      issuer: await discovery.getExternalBaseUrl('auth'),
+    }),
+  });
+}
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/types.ts b/packages/backend/src/types.ts
index 4be9c036b3..e3826d69ae 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/types.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import {
   TokenManager,
   UrlReader,
 } from '@backstage/backend-common';
+import { ServerPermissionClient } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-node';
 
 export type PluginEnvironment = {
   logger: Logger;
@@ -32,4 +33,5 @@ export type PluginEnvironment = {
   reader: UrlReader;
   discovery: PluginEndpointDiscovery;
   tokenManager: TokenManager;
+  permissions: ServerPermissionClient;
 };
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/api-report.md b/plugins/permission-common/api-report.md
index 043b27554c..70795d14ac 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/api-report.md
@@ -68,8 +68,17 @@ export type PermissionAttributes = {
 };
 
 // @public
-export class PermissionClient {
-  constructor(options: { discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi; configApi: Config });
+export interface PermissionAuthorizer {
+  // (undocumented)
+  authorize(
+    requests: AuthorizeRequest[],
+    options?: AuthorizeRequestOptions,
+  ): Promise<AuthorizeResponse[]>;
+}
+
+// @public
+export class PermissionClient implements PermissionAuthorizer {
+  constructor(options: { discovery: DiscoveryApi; config: Config });
   authorize(
     requests: AuthorizeRequest[],
     options?: AuthorizeRequestOptions,
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.test.ts b/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.test.ts
index b2e66986a1..a432735a5e 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.test.ts
@@ -26,14 +26,14 @@ const server = setupServer();
 const token = 'fake-token';
 
 const mockBaseUrl = 'http://backstage:9191/i-am-a-mock-base';
-const discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi = {
+const discovery: DiscoveryApi = {
   async getBaseUrl() {
     return mockBaseUrl;
   },
 };
 const client: PermissionClient = new PermissionClient({
-  discoveryApi,
-  configApi: new ConfigReader({ permission: { enabled: true } }),
+  discovery,
+  config: new ConfigReader({ permission: { enabled: true } }),
 });
 
 const mockPermission: Permission = {
@@ -158,8 +158,8 @@ describe('PermissionClient', () => {
         },
       );
       const disabled = new PermissionClient({
-        discoveryApi,
-        configApi: new ConfigReader({ permission: { enabled: false } }),
+        discovery,
+        config: new ConfigReader({ permission: { enabled: false } }),
       });
       const response = await disabled.authorize([mockAuthorizeRequest]);
       expect(response[0]).toEqual(
@@ -180,8 +180,8 @@ describe('PermissionClient', () => {
         },
       );
       const disabled = new PermissionClient({
-        discoveryApi,
-        configApi: new ConfigReader({}),
+        discovery,
+        config: new ConfigReader({}),
       });
       const response = await disabled.authorize([mockAuthorizeRequest]);
       expect(response[0]).toEqual(
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.ts b/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.ts
index f98d40a3c4..62e5ec8172 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/src/PermissionClient.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ import {
   PermissionCondition,
 } from './types/api';
 import { DiscoveryApi } from './types/discovery';
+import {
+  PermissionAuthorizer,
+  AuthorizeRequestOptions,
+} from './types/permission';
 
 const permissionCriteriaSchema: z.ZodSchema<
   PermissionCriteria<PermissionCondition>
@@ -59,26 +63,18 @@ const responseSchema = z.array(
     ),
 );
 
-/**
- * Options for authorization requests; currently only an optional auth token.
- * @public
- */
-export type AuthorizeRequestOptions = {
-  token?: string;
-};
-
 /**
  * An isomorphic client for requesting authorization for Backstage permissions.
  * @public
  */
-export class PermissionClient {
+export class PermissionClient implements PermissionAuthorizer {
   private readonly enabled: boolean;
-  private readonly discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi;
+  private readonly discovery: DiscoveryApi;
 
-  constructor(options: { discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi; configApi: Config }) {
-    this.discoveryApi = options.discoveryApi;
+  constructor(options: { discovery: DiscoveryApi; config: Config }) {
+    this.discovery = options.discovery;
     this.enabled =
-      options.configApi.getOptionalBoolean('permission.enabled') ?? false;
+      options.config.getOptionalBoolean('permission.enabled') ?? false;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -117,7 +113,7 @@ export class PermissionClient {
       }),
     );
 
-    const permissionApi = await this.discoveryApi.getBaseUrl('permission');
+    const permissionApi = await this.discovery.getBaseUrl('permission');
     const response = await fetch(`${permissionApi}/authorize`, {
       method: 'POST',
       body: JSON.stringify(identifiedRequests),
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/src/types/index.ts b/plugins/permission-common/src/types/index.ts
index e21fa19e8b..583a3577bd 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/src/types/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/src/types/index.ts
@@ -23,4 +23,9 @@ export type {
   PermissionCriteria,
 } from './api';
 export type { DiscoveryApi } from './discovery';
-export type { PermissionAttributes, Permission } from './permission';
+export type {
+  PermissionAttributes,
+  Permission,
+  PermissionAuthorizer,
+  AuthorizeRequestOptions,
+} from './permission';
diff --git a/plugins/permission-common/src/types/permission.ts b/plugins/permission-common/src/types/permission.ts
index 181b36065f..246f1bec72 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-common/src/types/permission.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-common/src/types/permission.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
+import { AuthorizeRequest, AuthorizeResponse } from './api';
+
 /**
  * The attributes related to a given permission; these should be generic and widely applicable to
  * all permissions in the system.
@@ -39,3 +41,22 @@ export type Permission = {
   attributes: PermissionAttributes;
   resourceType?: string;
 };
+
+/**
+ * A client interacting with the permission backend can implement this authorizer interface.
+ * @public
+ */
+export interface PermissionAuthorizer {
+  authorize(
+    requests: AuthorizeRequest[],
+    options?: AuthorizeRequestOptions,
+  ): Promise<AuthorizeResponse[]>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Options for authorization requests.
+ * @public
+ */
+export type AuthorizeRequestOptions = {
+  token?: string;
+};
diff --git a/plugins/permission-node/api-report.md b/plugins/permission-node/api-report.md
index 3df1386d4d..25a8be06c8 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-node/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/permission-node/api-report.md
@@ -4,11 +4,17 @@
 
 ```ts
 import { AuthorizeRequest } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
+import { AuthorizeRequestOptions } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
+import { AuthorizeResponse } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
 import { AuthorizeResult } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
 import { BackstageIdentityResponse } from '@backstage/plugin-auth-backend';
+import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
+import { PermissionAuthorizer } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
 import { PermissionCondition } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
 import { PermissionCriteria } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
+import { PluginEndpointDiscovery } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { Router } from 'express';
+import { TokenManager } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 
 // @public
 export type ApplyConditionsRequest = {
@@ -119,4 +125,21 @@ export type PolicyDecision =
       result: AuthorizeResult.ALLOW | AuthorizeResult.DENY;
     }
   | ConditionalPolicyDecision;
+
+// @public
+export class ServerPermissionClient implements PermissionAuthorizer {
+  // (undocumented)
+  authorize(
+    requests: AuthorizeRequest[],
+    options?: AuthorizeRequestOptions,
+  ): Promise<AuthorizeResponse[]>;
+  // (undocumented)
+  static fromConfig(
+    config: Config,
+    options: {
+      discovery: PluginEndpointDiscovery;
+      tokenManager: TokenManager;
+    },
+  ): ServerPermissionClient;
+}
 ```
diff --git a/plugins/permission-node/package.json b/plugins/permission-node/package.json
index 5e0a300873..92755e2012 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-node/package.json
+++ b/plugins/permission-node/package.json
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
     "clean": "backstage-cli clean"
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "@backstage/backend-common": "^0.9.11",
+    "@backstage/config": "^0.1.11",
     "@backstage/plugin-auth-backend": "^0.5.0",
     "@backstage/plugin-permission-common": "^0.2.0",
     "@types/express": "^4.17.6",
@@ -38,6 +40,7 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@backstage/cli": "^0.10.1",
     "@types/supertest": "^2.0.8",
+    "msw": "^0.35.0",
     "supertest": "^6.1.3"
   },
   "files": [
diff --git a/plugins/permission-node/src/ServerPermissionClient.test.ts b/plugins/permission-node/src/ServerPermissionClient.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2c29ef8939
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/permission-node/src/ServerPermissionClient.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * 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.
+ */
+
+import { ServerPermissionClient } from './ServerPermissionClient';
+import {
+  Permission,
+  Identified,
+  AuthorizeRequest,
+  AuthorizeResult,
+} from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
+import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
+import {
+  getVoidLogger,
+  PluginEndpointDiscovery,
+  ServerTokenManager,
+} from '@backstage/backend-common';
+import { setupServer } from 'msw/node';
+import { RestContext, rest } from 'msw';
+
+const server = setupServer();
+const mockAuthorizeHandler = jest.fn((req, res, { json }: RestContext) => {
+  const responses = req.body.map((r: Identified<AuthorizeRequest>) => ({
+    id: r.id,
+    result: AuthorizeResult.ALLOW,
+  }));
+
+  return res(json(responses));
+});
+const mockBaseUrl = 'http://backstage:9191/i-am-a-mock-base';
+const discovery: PluginEndpointDiscovery = {
+  async getBaseUrl() {
+    return mockBaseUrl;
+  },
+  async getExternalBaseUrl() {
+    return mockBaseUrl;
+  },
+};
+const testPermission: Permission = {
+  name: 'test.permission',
+  attributes: {},
+  resourceType: 'test-resource',
+};
+const config = new ConfigReader({
+  permission: { enabled: true },
+  backend: { auth: { keys: [{ secret: 'a-secret-key' }] } },
+});
+const logger = getVoidLogger();
+
+describe('ServerPermissionClient', () => {
+  beforeAll(() => server.listen({ onUnhandledRequest: 'error' }));
+  afterAll(() => server.close());
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    server.use(rest.post(`${mockBaseUrl}/authorize`, mockAuthorizeHandler));
+  });
+  afterEach(() => server.resetHandlers());
+
+  it('should bypass authorization if permissions are disabled', async () => {
+    const client = ServerPermissionClient.fromConfig(new ConfigReader({}), {
+      discovery,
+      tokenManager: ServerTokenManager.noop(),
+    });
+
+    await client.authorize([{ permission: testPermission }]);
+
+    expect(mockAuthorizeHandler).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('should bypass authorization if permissions are enabled and request has valid server token', async () => {
+    const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(config, { logger });
+    const client = ServerPermissionClient.fromConfig(config, {
+      discovery,
+      tokenManager,
+    });
+
+    await client.authorize([{ permission: testPermission }], {
+      token: (await tokenManager.getToken()).token,
+    });
+
+    expect(mockAuthorizeHandler).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('should authorize normally if permissions are enabled and request does not have valid server token', async () => {
+    const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.fromConfig(config, { logger });
+    const client = ServerPermissionClient.fromConfig(config, {
+      discovery,
+      tokenManager,
+    });
+
+    await client.authorize([{ permission: testPermission }], {
+      token: 'a-user-token',
+    });
+
+    expect(mockAuthorizeHandler).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('should error if permissions are enabled but a no-op token manager is configured', async () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      ServerPermissionClient.fromConfig(config, {
+        discovery,
+        tokenManager: ServerTokenManager.noop(),
+      }),
+    ).toThrowError(
+      'You must configure at least one key in backend.auth.keys if permissions are enabled.',
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/plugins/permission-node/src/ServerPermissionClient.ts b/plugins/permission-node/src/ServerPermissionClient.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c85cc7048b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/permission-node/src/ServerPermissionClient.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * 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.
+ */
+
+import {
+  TokenManager,
+  PluginEndpointDiscovery,
+} from '@backstage/backend-common';
+import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
+import {
+  AuthorizeRequest,
+  AuthorizeRequestOptions,
+  AuthorizeResponse,
+  AuthorizeResult,
+  PermissionClient,
+  PermissionAuthorizer,
+} from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
+
+/**
+ * A thin wrapper around
+ * {@link @backstage/plugin-permission-common#PermissionClient} that allows all
+ * backend-to-backend requests.
+ * @public
+ */
+export class ServerPermissionClient implements PermissionAuthorizer {
+  private readonly permissionClient: PermissionClient;
+  private readonly tokenManager: TokenManager;
+  private readonly permissionEnabled: boolean;
+
+  static fromConfig(
+    config: Config,
+    options: {
+      discovery: PluginEndpointDiscovery;
+      tokenManager: TokenManager;
+    },
+  ) {
+    const { discovery, tokenManager } = options;
+    const permissionClient = new PermissionClient({ discovery, config });
+    const permissionEnabled =
+      config.getOptionalBoolean('permission.enabled') ?? false;
+
+    if (
+      permissionEnabled &&
+      (tokenManager as any).isInsecureServerTokenManager
+    ) {
+      throw new Error(
+        'You must configure at least one key in backend.auth.keys if permissions are enabled.',
+      );
+    }
+
+    return new ServerPermissionClient({
+      permissionClient,
+      tokenManager,
+      permissionEnabled,
+    });
+  }
+
+  private constructor(options: {
+    permissionClient: PermissionClient;
+    tokenManager: TokenManager;
+    permissionEnabled: boolean;
+  }) {
+    this.permissionClient = options.permissionClient;
+    this.tokenManager = options.tokenManager;
+    this.permissionEnabled = options.permissionEnabled;
+  }
+
+  async authorize(
+    requests: AuthorizeRequest[],
+    options?: AuthorizeRequestOptions,
+  ): Promise<AuthorizeResponse[]> {
+    // Check if permissions are enabled before validating the server token. That
+    // way when permissions are disabled, the noop token manager can be used
+    // without fouling up the logic inside the ServerPermissionClient, because
+    // the code path won't be reached.
+    if (
+      !this.permissionEnabled ||
+      (await this.isValidServerToken(options?.token))
+    ) {
+      return requests.map(_ => ({ result: AuthorizeResult.ALLOW }));
+    }
+    return this.permissionClient.authorize(requests, options);
+  }
+
+  private async isValidServerToken(
+    token: string | undefined,
+  ): Promise<boolean> {
+    if (!token) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return this.tokenManager
+      .authenticate(token)
+      .then(() => true)
+      .catch(() => false);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/plugins/permission-node/src/index.ts b/plugins/permission-node/src/index.ts
index 39527bac71..32d71ddeb3 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-node/src/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-node/src/index.ts
@@ -22,3 +22,4 @@
 export * from './integration';
 export * from './policy';
 export * from './types';
+export { ServerPermissionClient } from './ServerPermissionClient';
diff --git a/plugins/permission-react/api-report.md b/plugins/permission-react/api-report.md
index c10317495a..799b3ad54f 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-react/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/permission-react/api-report.md
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ export class IdentityPermissionApi implements PermissionApi {
   authorize(request: AuthorizeRequest): Promise<AuthorizeResponse>;
   // (undocumented)
   static create(options: {
-    configApi: Config;
-    discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi;
-    identityApi: IdentityApi;
+    config: Config;
+    discovery: DiscoveryApi;
+    identity: IdentityApi;
   }): IdentityPermissionApi;
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/permission-react/src/apis/IdentityPermissionApi.ts b/plugins/permission-react/src/apis/IdentityPermissionApi.ts
index 19de564f84..818eca17fa 100644
--- a/plugins/permission-react/src/apis/IdentityPermissionApi.ts
+++ b/plugins/permission-react/src/apis/IdentityPermissionApi.ts
@@ -35,13 +35,13 @@ export class IdentityPermissionApi implements PermissionApi {
   ) {}
 
   static create(options: {
-    configApi: Config;
-    discoveryApi: DiscoveryApi;
-    identityApi: IdentityApi;
+    config: Config;
+    discovery: DiscoveryApi;
+    identity: IdentityApi;
   }) {
-    const { configApi, discoveryApi, identityApi } = options;
-    const permissionClient = new PermissionClient({ discoveryApi, configApi });
-    return new IdentityPermissionApi(permissionClient, identityApi);
+    const { config, discovery, identity } = options;
+    const permissionClient = new PermissionClient({ discovery, config });
+    return new IdentityPermissionApi(permissionClient, identity);
   }
 
   async authorize(request: AuthorizeRequest): Promise<AuthorizeResponse> {