diff --git a/bin/web.js b/bin/web.js
index fbfe6ef5..633f0e52 100644
--- a/bin/web.js
+++ b/bin/web.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 var express = require('express');
+var getenv = require('getenv');
 var uuid = require('uuid');
 var basicAuth = require('basic-auth');
 var Analytics = require('analytics-node');
@@ -19,13 +20,14 @@ if (process.env.ANALYTICS_TOKEN) {
 
 var myNuts = nuts.Nuts({
     repository: process.env.GITHUB_REPO,
+    anonymous: getenv.boolish('GITHUB_ANONYMOUS', false),
     token: process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN,
     username: process.env.GITHUB_USERNAME,
     password: process.env.GITHUB_PASSWORD,
     timeout: process.env.VERSIONS_TIMEOUT,
     cache: process.env.VERSIONS_CACHE,
     refreshSecret: process.env.GITHUB_SECRET,
-    proxyAssets: !Boolean(process.env.DONT_PROXY_ASSETS)
+    proxyAssets: !getenv.boolish('DONT_PROXY_ASSETS', false)
 });
 
 // Control access to API
diff --git a/docs/deploy.md b/docs/deploy.md
index ff669aea..c9e36eaf 100644
--- a/docs/deploy.md
+++ b/docs/deploy.md
@@ -31,10 +31,12 @@ This service requires to be configured using environment variables:
 $ export PORT=6000
 
 # Access token for the GitHub API (requires permissions to access the repository)
-# If the repository is public you do not need to provide an access token
 # you can also use GITHUB_USERNAME and GITHUB_PASSWORD
 $ export GITHUB_TOKEN=...
 
+# Or, if the repository is public you do not need to provide an access token
+$ export GITHUB_ANONYMOUS=1
+
 # ID for the GitHub repository
 $ export GITHUB_REPO=Username/MyApp
 
diff --git a/lib/backends/github.js b/lib/backends/github.js
index dbcbe9fe..59ecb1b2 100644
--- a/lib/backends/github.js
+++ b/lib/backends/github.js
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ function GitHubBackend() {
         proxyAssets: true
     });
 
-    if ((!this.opts.username || !this.opts.password) && (!this.opts.token)) {
-        throw new Error('GitHub backend require "username" and "token" options');
+    if ((!this.opts.username || !this.opts.password) && (!this.opts.token) && (!this.opts.anonymous)) {
+        throw new Error('GitHub backend requires either the "username" and "password, "token", or "anonymous" option');
     }
 
     this.client = new GitHub({
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 9b395c5e..07f1f134 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     "express": "^4.13.3",
     "express-useragent": "0.1.9",
     "feed": "^0.3.0",
+    "getenv": "^0.6.0",
     "github-webhook-handler": "0.5.0",
     "lodash": "3.7.0",
     "lru-diskcache": "1.1.1",