diff --git a/packages/authentication-local/src/hooks/hash-password.ts b/packages/authentication-local/src/hooks/hash-password.ts
index 69ed6d7a27..371f1914f5 100644
--- a/packages/authentication-local/src/hooks/hash-password.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication-local/src/hooks/hash-password.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { get, set, cloneDeep } from 'lodash';
 import { BadRequest } from '@feathersjs/errors';
 import Debug from 'debug';
 import { HookContext } from '@feathersjs/feathers';
+import { LocalStrategy } from '../strategy';
 
 const debug = Debug('@feathersjs/authentication-local/hooks/hash-password');
 
@@ -28,15 +29,14 @@ export default function hashPassword (field: string, options: HashPasswordOption
       return context;
     }
 
-    const serviceName = options.authentication || app.get('defaultAuthentication');
-    const authService = app.service(serviceName);
+    const authService = app.defaultAuthentication(options.authentication);
     const { strategy = 'local' } = options;
 
     if (!authService || typeof authService.getStrategies !== 'function') {
-      throw new BadRequest(`Could not find '${serviceName}' service to hash password`);
+      throw new BadRequest(`Could not find an authentication service to hash password`);
     }
 
-    const [ localStrategy ] = authService.getStrategies(strategy);
+    const [ localStrategy ] = authService.getStrategies(strategy) as LocalStrategy[];
 
     if (!localStrategy || typeof localStrategy.hashPassword !== 'function') {
       throw new BadRequest(`Could not find '${strategy}' strategy to hash password`);
diff --git a/packages/authentication-local/src/strategy.ts b/packages/authentication-local/src/strategy.ts
index febde71737..28faf7c56b 100644
--- a/packages/authentication-local/src/strategy.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication-local/src/strategy.ts
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ export class LocalStrategy extends AuthenticationBaseStrategy {
     throw new NotAuthenticated(errorMessage);
   }
 
-  async hashPassword (password: string) {
+  async hashPassword (password: string, _params: Params) {
     return bcrypt.hash(password, this.configuration.hashSize);
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/authentication-local/test/hooks/hash-password.test.ts b/packages/authentication-local/test/hooks/hash-password.test.ts
index 8cfbe56360..7a97b5768c 100644
--- a/packages/authentication-local/test/hooks/hash-password.test.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication-local/test/hooks/hash-password.test.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ describe('@feathersjs/authentication-local/hooks/hash-password', () => {
       assert.fail('Should never get here');
     } catch (error) {
       assert.strictEqual(error.message,
-        `Could not find 'authentication' service to hash password`
+        'Could not find an authentication service to hash password'
       );
     }
   });
diff --git a/packages/authentication-oauth/src/express.ts b/packages/authentication-oauth/src/express.ts
index 8c36b257b4..ff17f76cf1 100644
--- a/packages/authentication-oauth/src/express.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication-oauth/src/express.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import { express as grantExpress } from 'grant';
 import Debug from 'debug';
 import { Application } from '@feathersjs/feathers';
-import { AuthenticationService, AuthenticationResult } from '@feathersjs/authentication';
+import { AuthenticationResult } from '@feathersjs/authentication';
 import qs from 'querystring';
 import {
   Application as ExpressApplication,
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export default (options: OauthSetupSettings) => {
     authApp.get('/:name/authenticate', async (req, res, next) => {
       const { name } = req.params;
       const { accessToken, grant } = req.session;
-      const service: AuthenticationService = app.service(authService);
+      const service = app.defaultAuthentication(authService);
       const [ strategy ] = service.getStrategies(name) as OAuthStrategy[];
       const sendResponse = async (data: AuthenticationResult|Error) => {
         try {
diff --git a/packages/authentication-oauth/src/index.ts b/packages/authentication-oauth/src/index.ts
index 25f616b3cf..92290aab06 100644
--- a/packages/authentication-oauth/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication-oauth/src/index.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import Debug from 'debug';
 import { merge, each, omit } from 'lodash';
 import { Application } from '@feathersjs/feathers';
-import { AuthenticationService } from '@feathersjs/authentication';
 import { OAuthStrategy, OAuthProfile } from './strategy';
 import { default as setupExpress } from './express';
 import { OauthSetupSettings, getDefaultSettings } from './utils';
@@ -11,17 +10,16 @@ const debug = Debug('@feathersjs/authentication-oauth');
 export { OauthSetupSettings, OAuthStrategy, OAuthProfile };
 
 export const setup = (options: OauthSetupSettings) => (app: Application) => {
-  const authPath = options.authService;
-  const service: AuthenticationService = app.service(authPath);
+  const service = app.defaultAuthentication ? app.defaultAuthentication(options.authService) : null;
 
   if (!service) {
-    throw new Error(`'${authPath}' authentication service must exist before registering @feathersjs/authentication-oauth`);
+    throw new Error('An authentication service must exist before registering @feathersjs/authentication-oauth');
   }
 
   const { oauth } = service.configuration;
 
   if (!oauth) {
-    debug(`No oauth configuration found at '${authPath}'. Skipping oAuth setup.`);
+    debug(`No oauth configuration found in authentication configuration. Skipping oAuth setup.`);
     return;
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/authentication-oauth/src/utils.ts b/packages/authentication-oauth/src/utils.ts
index 7f21a7e5fe..5c5a50e63c 100644
--- a/packages/authentication-oauth/src/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication-oauth/src/utils.ts
@@ -3,14 +3,13 @@ import session from 'express-session';
 import { Application } from '@feathersjs/feathers';
 
 export interface OauthSetupSettings {
-  authService: string;
+  authService?: string;
   linkStrategy: string;
   expressSession: RequestHandler;
 }
 
-export const getDefaultSettings = (app: Application, other?: Partial<OauthSetupSettings>) => {
+export const getDefaultSettings = (_app: Application, other?: Partial<OauthSetupSettings>) => {
   const defaults: OauthSetupSettings = {
-    authService: app.get('defaultAuthentication'),
     linkStrategy: 'jwt',
     expressSession: session({
       secret: Math.random().toString(36).substring(7),
diff --git a/packages/authentication-oauth/test/index.test.ts b/packages/authentication-oauth/test/index.test.ts
index 834f065666..014a50b7d8 100644
--- a/packages/authentication-oauth/test/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication-oauth/test/index.test.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ describe('@feathersjs/authentication-oauth', () => {
         assert.fail('Should never get here');
       } catch (error) {
         assert.equal(error.message,
-          `'something' authentication service must exist before registering @feathersjs/authentication-oauth`
+          'An authentication service must exist before registering @feathersjs/authentication-oauth'
         );
       }
     });
diff --git a/packages/authentication-oauth/test/utils.test.ts b/packages/authentication-oauth/test/utils.test.ts
index 20fd70a5c1..04aee35b22 100644
--- a/packages/authentication-oauth/test/utils.test.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication-oauth/test/utils.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ describe('@feathersjs/authentication-oauth/utils', () => {
   it('getDefaultSettings', () => {
     const settings = getDefaultSettings(app);
 
-    assert.equal(settings.authService, 'authentication');
+    assert.equal(settings.authService, undefined);
     assert.equal(settings.linkStrategy, 'jwt');
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/authentication/src/hooks/authenticate.ts b/packages/authentication/src/hooks/authenticate.ts
index 21650cbc07..b60cb45275 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/src/hooks/authenticate.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication/src/hooks/authenticate.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { flatten, omit, merge } from 'lodash';
 import { HookContext } from '@feathersjs/feathers';
 import { NotAuthenticated } from '@feathersjs/errors';
 import Debug from 'debug';
-import { AuthenticationService } from '../service';
 
 const debug = Debug('@feathersjs/authentication/hooks/authenticate');
 
@@ -22,12 +21,9 @@ export default (originalSettings: string|AuthenticateHookSettings, ...originalSt
 
   return async (context: HookContext) => {
     const { app, params, type, path, service } = context;
-    const {
-      service: authPath = app.get('defaultAuthentication'),
-      strategies
-    } = settings;
+    const { strategies } = settings;
     const { provider, authentication } = params;
-    const authService = app.service(authPath) as unknown as AuthenticationService;
+    const authService = app.defaultAuthentication(settings.service);
 
     debug(`Running authenticate hook on '${path}'`);
 
@@ -36,7 +32,7 @@ export default (originalSettings: string|AuthenticateHookSettings, ...originalSt
     }
 
     if (!authService || typeof authService.authenticate !== 'function') {
-      throw new NotAuthenticated(`Could not find authentication service at '${authPath}'`);
+      throw new NotAuthenticated('Could not find a valid authentication service');
     }
 
     // @ts-ignore
diff --git a/packages/authentication/src/service.ts b/packages/authentication/src/service.ts
index e5bbefcbe6..4d036333e7 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/src/service.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication/src/service.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,38 @@ import { merge, get } from 'lodash';
 import { NotAuthenticated } from '@feathersjs/errors';
 import { AuthenticationBase, AuthenticationResult, AuthenticationRequest } from './core';
 import { connection, events } from './hooks';
-import { Params, ServiceMethods } from '@feathersjs/feathers';
+import { Application, Params, ServiceMethods } from '@feathersjs/feathers';
 
 const debug = Debug('@feathersjs/authentication/service');
 
+declare module '@feathersjs/feathers' {
+  interface Application<ServiceTypes = {}> {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the default authentication service or the
+     * authentication service for a given path.
+     *
+     * @param location The service path to use (optional)
+     */
+    defaultAuthentication (location?: string): AuthenticationService;
+  }
+}
+
 export class AuthenticationService extends AuthenticationBase implements Partial<ServiceMethods<AuthenticationResult>> {
+  constructor (app: Application, configKey: string = 'authentication', options = {}) {
+    super(app, configKey, options);
+
+    if (typeof app.defaultAuthentication !== 'function') {
+      app.defaultAuthentication = function (location?: string) {
+        const configKey = app.get('defaultAuthentication');
+        const path = location || Object.keys(this.services).find(current =>
+          this.service(current).configKey === configKey
+        );
+
+        return path ? this.service(path) : null;
+      };
+    }
+  }
   /**
    * Return the payload for a JWT based on the authentication result.
    * Called internally by the `create` method.
diff --git a/packages/authentication/test/hooks/authenticate.test.ts b/packages/authentication/test/hooks/authenticate.test.ts
index b565255216..907ba8c976 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/test/hooks/authenticate.test.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication/test/hooks/authenticate.test.ts
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ describe('authentication/hooks/authenticate', () => {
       assert.fail('Should never get here');
     } catch (error) {
       assert.strictEqual(error.name, 'NotAuthenticated');
-      assert.strictEqual(error.message, `Could not find authentication service at 'authentication'`);
+      assert.strictEqual(error.message, `Could not find a valid authentication service`);
     }
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/authentication/test/service.test.ts b/packages/authentication/test/service.test.ts
index 5b6a3e9d3a..a521230248 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/test/service.test.ts
+++ b/packages/authentication/test/service.test.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@ import feathers, { Application, Service } from '@feathersjs/feathers';
 import memory from 'feathers-memory';
 
 import defaultOptions from '../src/options';
-import { AuthenticationService } from '../src/service';
-import { AuthenticationResult } from '../src/core';
+import { AuthenticationService, AuthenticationResult } from '../src';
 
 import { Strategy1 } from './fixtures';
 
@@ -38,6 +37,11 @@ describe('authentication/service', () => {
     assert.deepStrictEqual(app.service('authentication').configuration, Object.assign({}, defaultOptions, app.get('authentication')));
   });
 
+  it('app.defaultAuthentication()', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(app.defaultAuthentication(), app.service('authentication'));
+    assert.strictEqual(app.defaultAuthentication('dummy'), undefined);
+  });
+
   describe('create', () => {
     it('creates a valid accessToken and includes strategy result', async () => {
       const service = app.service('authentication');
diff --git a/packages/express/lib/authentication.js b/packages/express/lib/authentication.js
index 2728f2bf90..a54d844490 100644
--- a/packages/express/lib/authentication.js
+++ b/packages/express/lib/authentication.js
@@ -5,20 +5,11 @@ const normalizeStrategy = (_settings = [], ..._strategies) =>
   typeof _settings === 'string'
     ? { strategies: flatten([ _settings, ..._strategies ]) }
     : _settings;
-const getService = (settings, app) => {
-  const path = settings.service || app.get('defaultAuthentication');
-
-  if (typeof path !== 'string') {
-    return null;
-  }
-
-  return app.service(path) || null;
-};
 
 exports.parseAuthentication = (settings = {}) => {
   return function (req, res, next) {
     const { app } = req;
-    const service = getService(settings, app);
+    const service = app.defaultAuthentication ? app.defaultAuthentication(settings.service) : null;
 
     if (service === null) {
       return next();
@@ -53,7 +44,7 @@ exports.authenticate = (...strategies) => {
 
   return function (req, res, next) {
     const { app, authentication } = req;
-    const service = getService(settings, app);
+    const service = app.defaultAuthentication(settings.service);
 
     debug('Authenticating with Express middleware and strategies', settings.strategies);