diff --git a/VERSION.cmake b/VERSION.cmake
index 1c558669..8ebe8b0f 100644
--- a/VERSION.cmake
+++ b/VERSION.cmake
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 SET(LIBREPO_MAJOR "1")
-SET(LIBREPO_MINOR "17")
-SET(LIBREPO_PATCH "2")
+SET(LIBREPO_MINOR "18")
+SET(LIBREPO_PATCH "0")
diff --git a/librepo.spec b/librepo.spec
index 3a5757fe..25dc741c 100644
--- a/librepo.spec
+++ b/librepo.spec
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 %global dnf_conflict 2.8.8
 
 Name:           librepo
-Version:        1.17.2
+Version:        1.18.0
 Release:        1%{?dist}
 Summary:        Repodata downloading library
 
diff --git a/librepo/handle.c b/librepo/handle.c
index 27fcbbbd..eec674dc 100644
--- a/librepo/handle.c
+++ b/librepo/handle.c
@@ -407,6 +407,14 @@ lr_handle_setopt(LrHandle *handle,
         c_rc = curl_easy_setopt(c_h, CURLOPT_USERPWD, va_arg(arg, char *));
         break;
 
+    case LRO_USERNAME:
+        c_rc = curl_easy_setopt(c_h, CURLOPT_USERNAME, va_arg(arg, char *));
+        break;
+
+    case LRO_PASSWORD:
+        c_rc = curl_easy_setopt(c_h, CURLOPT_PASSWORD, va_arg(arg, char *));
+        break;
+
     case LRO_PROXY:
         c_rc = curl_easy_setopt(c_h, CURLOPT_PROXY, va_arg(arg, char *));
         break;
diff --git a/librepo/handle.h.in b/librepo/handle.h.in
index b3c19007..eb242dde 100644
--- a/librepo/handle.h.in
+++ b/librepo/handle.h.in
@@ -148,12 +148,15 @@ typedef enum {
         Do not duplicate local metadata, just locate the old one */
 
     LRO_HTTPAUTH,  /*!< (long 1 or 0)
-        Enable all supported method of HTTP authentification.
+        Enable all supported method of HTTP authentication.
         This option is DEPRECATED!
         Use LRO_HTTPAUTHMETHODS */
 
     LRO_USERPWD,  /*!< (char *)
-        User and password for http authetification in format user:password */
+        User and password for HTTP authentication in format user:password.
+        The user and password strings are not URL decoded, so there is no way to send in
+        a username containing a colon using this option. The option is DEPRECATED!
+        Use LRO_USERNAME and LRO_PASSWORD */
 
     LRO_PROXY,  /*!< (char *)
         Address of proxy server eg. "proxy-host.com:8080" */
@@ -165,12 +168,14 @@ typedef enum {
         Type of the proxy used. */
 
     LRO_PROXYAUTH,  /*!< (long 1 or 0)
-        Enable all supported method for proxy authentification.
+        Enable all supported method for proxy authentication.
         This option is DEPRECATED!
         Use LRO_PROXYAUTHMETHODS */
 
     LRO_PROXYUSERPWD,  /*!< (char *)
-        User and password for proxy in format user:password */
+        User and password for proxy in format user:password
+        Both the username and the password are URL decoded before use, so if the username
+        contains, for example, a colon, it should be encoded as %3A.*/
 
     LRO_PROGRESSCB,  /*!< (LrProgressCb)
         Progress callback */
@@ -429,6 +434,12 @@ typedef enum {
         Path to a file containing the list of PEM format trusted CA
         certificates. Used for proxy. */
 
+    LRO_USERNAME,  /*!< (char *)
+        User for HTTP authentication */
+
+    LRO_PASSWORD,  /*!< (char *)
+        Password for HTTP authentication */
+
     LRO_SENTINEL,    /*!< Sentinel */
 
 } LrHandleOption; /*!< Handle config options */
diff --git a/librepo/python/__init__.py b/librepo/python/__init__.py
index 118b9349..a005e703 100644
--- a/librepo/python/__init__.py
+++ b/librepo/python/__init__.py
@@ -90,6 +90,17 @@
 
     *String or None*. Set username and password for HTTP authentication.
     Param must be in format 'username:password'.
+    The user and password strings are not URL decoded, so there is no way to send in
+    a username containing a colon using this option. The option is DEPRECATED!
+    Use LRO_USERNAME and LRO_PASSWORD.
+
+.. data:: LRO_USERNAME
+
+    *String or None*. Set username for HTTP authentication.
+
+.. data:: LRO_PASSWORD
+
+    *String or None*. Set password for HTTP authentication.
 
 .. data:: LRO_PROXY
 
@@ -116,6 +127,8 @@
 
     *String or None*. Set username and password for proxy
     authentication in format 'username:password'.
+    Both the username and the password are URL decoded before use, so if the username
+    contains, for example, a colon, it should be encoded as %3A.
 
 .. data:: LRO_PROGRESSCB
 
@@ -1259,6 +1272,14 @@ class Handle(_librepo.Handle):
 
         See: :data:`.LRO_USERPWD`
 
+    .. attribute:: username:
+
+        See: :data:`.LRO_USERNAME`
+
+    .. attribute:: password:
+
+        See: :data:`.LRO_PASSWORD`
+
     .. attribute:: proxy:
 
         See: :data:`.LRO_PROXY`
diff --git a/librepo/python/handle-py.c b/librepo/python/handle-py.c
index 32bf4e19..ccc1ef42 100644
--- a/librepo/python/handle-py.c
+++ b/librepo/python/handle-py.c
@@ -293,6 +293,8 @@ py_setopt(_HandleObject *self, PyObject *args)
     case LRO_MIRRORLISTURL:
     case LRO_METALINKURL:
     case LRO_USERPWD:
+    case LRO_USERNAME:
+    case LRO_PASSWORD:
     case LRO_PROXY:
     case LRO_PROXYUSERPWD:
     case LRO_DESTDIR:
diff --git a/librepo/python/librepomodule.c b/librepo/python/librepomodule.c
index 3908bbc2..b7b1b593 100644
--- a/librepo/python/librepomodule.c
+++ b/librepo/python/librepomodule.c
@@ -238,6 +238,8 @@ PyInit__librepo(void)
     PYMODULE_ADDINTCONSTANT(LRO_LOCAL);
     PYMODULE_ADDINTCONSTANT(LRO_HTTPAUTH);
     PYMODULE_ADDINTCONSTANT(LRO_USERPWD);
+    PYMODULE_ADDINTCONSTANT(LRO_USERNAME);
+    PYMODULE_ADDINTCONSTANT(LRO_PASSWORD);
     PYMODULE_ADDINTCONSTANT(LRO_PROXY);
     PYMODULE_ADDINTCONSTANT(LRO_PROXYPORT);
     PYMODULE_ADDINTCONSTANT(LRO_PROXYTYPE);
diff --git a/tests/README.rst b/tests/README.rst
index f7e6d032..49c8cfed 100644
--- a/tests/README.rst
+++ b/tests/README.rst
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ $ python python/tests/servermock/server.py
 Url examples
 ------------
 http://127.0.0.1:5000/yum/auth_basic/static/01/repodata/repomd.xml
- * This url provides basic authentification
+ * This url provides basic authentication
 
 http://127.0.0.1:5000/yum/badgpg/static/01/repodata/repomd.xml.asc
  * This url in fact returns .../repodata/repomd.xml.asc.bad file
diff --git a/tests/python/tests/test_handle.py b/tests/python/tests/test_handle.py
index b3c02320..36ae590d 100644
--- a/tests/python/tests/test_handle.py
+++ b/tests/python/tests/test_handle.py
@@ -509,6 +509,10 @@ def test_handle_setopt_none_value(self):
         h.httpauth = None
         h.setopt(librepo.LRO_USERPWD, None)
         h.userpwd = None
+        h.setopt(librepo.LRO_USERNAME, None)
+        h.username = None
+        h.setopt(librepo.LRO_PASSWORD, None)
+        h.password = None
         h.setopt(librepo.LRO_PROXY, None)
         h.proxy = None
         h.setopt(librepo.LRO_PROXYPORT, None)       # None sets default value
diff --git a/tests/python/tests/test_yum_repo_downloading.py b/tests/python/tests/test_yum_repo_downloading.py
index 29c2c85c..9c7fdac7 100644
--- a/tests/python/tests/test_yum_repo_downloading.py
+++ b/tests/python/tests/test_yum_repo_downloading.py
@@ -1435,7 +1435,8 @@ def test_download_repo_01_from_base_auth_secured_web_01(self):
         h.checksum = True
         self.assertRaises(librepo.LibrepoException, h.perform, (r))
 
-    def test_download_repo_01_from_base_auth_secured_web_02(self):
+    def test_download_repo_01_from_base_auth_secured_web_02_use_userpwd(self):
+        """ The test uses the deprecated `h.userpwd="username:password"`. """
         h = librepo.Handle()
         r = librepo.Result()
 
@@ -1454,6 +1455,27 @@ def test_download_repo_01_from_base_auth_secured_web_02(self):
         self.assertTrue(yum_repo)
         self.assertTrue(yum_repomd)
 
+    def test_download_repo_01_from_base_auth_secured_web_02(self):
+        """ The test uses `h.username="username" and `h.password="password"`. """
+        h = librepo.Handle()
+        r = librepo.Result()
+
+        url = "%s%s%s" % (self.MOCKURL, config.AUTHBASIC, config.REPO_YUM_01_PATH)
+        h.urls = [url]
+        h.repotype = librepo.LR_YUMREPO
+        h.destdir = self.tmpdir
+        h.checksum = True
+        h.httpauth = True
+        h.username = config.AUTH_USER
+        h.password = config.AUTH_PASS
+        h.perform(r)
+
+        yum_repo   = r.getinfo(librepo.LRR_YUM_REPO)
+        yum_repomd = r.getinfo(librepo.LRR_YUM_REPOMD)
+
+        self.assertTrue(yum_repo)
+        self.assertTrue(yum_repomd)
+
 # Progressbar test
 
     def test_download_repo_01_with_progressbar(self):
diff --git a/tests/test_handle.c b/tests/test_handle.c
index a80df4eb..180cf49a 100644
--- a/tests/test_handle.c
+++ b/tests/test_handle.c
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ START_TEST(test_handle)
     ck_assert(lr_handle_setopt(h, &tmp_err, LRO_MIRRORLIST, "bar"));
     ck_assert_ptr_null(tmp_err);
     ck_assert(lr_handle_setopt(h, NULL, LRO_USERPWD, "user:pwd"));
+    ck_assert(lr_handle_setopt(h, NULL, LRO_USERNAME, "user"));
+    ck_assert(lr_handle_setopt(h, NULL, LRO_PASSWORD, "pwd"));
     ck_assert(lr_handle_setopt(h, NULL, LRO_PROXY, "proxy"));
     ck_assert(lr_handle_setopt(h, NULL, LRO_PROXYUSERPWD, "proxyuser:pwd"));
     ck_assert(lr_handle_setopt(h, NULL, LRO_DESTDIR, "foodir"));