diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index db5e201..886e74e 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -154,6 +154,11 @@ test:user:
   variables:
     TEST_FOLDER: routes/user
 
+test:healthz:
+  extends: test:database
+  variables:
+    TEST_FOLDER: routes/healthz
+
 # Stage: deploy
 ##############################################################################
 
diff --git a/amqp/amqpclient.go b/amqp/amqpclient.go
index 9ab55f6..de4f6b4 100644
--- a/amqp/amqpclient.go
+++ b/amqp/amqpclient.go
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func ConnectAMQP(uri string) error {
 	// connect to broker
 	client.connection, err = amqp.Dial(uri)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("AMQP: failed to connect to RabbitMQ broker")
+		return fmt.Errorf("AMQP: failed to connect to RabbitMQ broker %v", uri)
 	}
 
 	// create channel
@@ -163,3 +163,16 @@ func PingAMQP() error {
 	err := SendActionAMQP(a, "")
 	return err
 }
+
+func CheckConnection() error {
+
+	if client.connection != nil {
+		if client.connection.IsClosed() {
+			return fmt.Errorf("connection to broker is closed")
+		}
+	} else {
+		return fmt.Errorf("connection is nil")
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/routes/healthz/healthz_endpoint.go b/routes/healthz/healthz_endpoint.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3b3ef5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/routes/healthz/healthz_endpoint.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package healthz
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/amqp"
+	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/database"
+	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
+	"net/http"
+)
+
+func RegisterHealthzEndpoint(r *gin.RouterGroup) {
+
+	r.GET("", getHealth)
+}
+
+// getHealth godoc
+// @Summary Get health status of backend
+// @ID getHealth
+// @Produce  json
+// @Tags healthz
+// @Success 200 "Backend is healthy, database and AMQP broker connections are alive"
+// @Failure 500 {object} docs.ResponseError "Backend is NOT healthy"
+// @Router /healthz [get]
+func getHealth(c *gin.Context) {
+
+	// check if DB connection is active
+	db := database.GetDB()
+	err := db.DB().Ping()
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// check if connection to AMQP broker is alive if backend was started with AMQP client
+	if len(database.AMQP_URL) != 0 {
+		err = amqp.CheckConnection()
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Println(err.Error())
+			c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{
+				"success:": false,
+				"message":  err.Error(),
+			})
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{})
+}
diff --git a/routes/healthz/healthz_test.go b/routes/healthz/healthz_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8c78d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/routes/healthz/healthz_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+package healthz
+
+import (
+	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/amqp"
+	//"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/amqp"
+	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/database"
+	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/helper"
+	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/routes/user"
+	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
+	"github.com/jinzhu/gorm"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"net/http"
+
+	//"net/http"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+var router *gin.Engine
+var db *gorm.DB
+
+func TestHealthz(t *testing.T) {
+	// connect DB
+	db = database.InitDB(database.DB_NAME, true)
+	defer db.Close()
+
+	assert.NoError(t, database.DBAddAdminAndUserAndGuest(db))
+
+	router = gin.Default()
+	api := router.Group("/api")
+
+	user.RegisterAuthenticate(api.Group("/authenticate"))
+	api.Use(user.Authentication(true))
+	RegisterHealthzEndpoint(api.Group("/healthz"))
+
+	// authenticate as normal user
+	token, err := helper.AuthenticateForTest(router,
+		"/api/authenticate", "POST", helper.UserACredentials)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// close db connection
+	err = db.Close()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// test healthz endpoint for unconnected DB and AMQP client
+	code, resp, err := helper.TestEndpoint(router, token, "api/healthz", http.MethodGet, nil)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equalf(t, 500, code, "Response body: \n%v\n", resp)
+
+	// reconnect DB
+	db = database.InitDB(database.DB_NAME, false)
+	defer db.Close()
+
+	// test healthz endpoint for connected DB and unconnected AMQP client
+	code, resp, err = helper.TestEndpoint(router, token, "api/healthz", http.MethodGet, nil)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equalf(t, 500, code, "Response body: \n%v\n", resp)
+
+	// connect AMQP client (make sure that AMQP_URL is set via command line parameter -amqp)
+	err = amqp.ConnectAMQP(database.AMQP_URL)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// test healthz endpoint for connected DB and AMQP client
+	code, resp, err = helper.TestEndpoint(router, token, "api/healthz", http.MethodGet, nil)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equalf(t, 200, code, "Response body: \n%v\n", resp)
+}
diff --git a/routes/user/user_middleware.go b/routes/user/user_middleware.go
index eebf64b..a64eaf0 100644
--- a/routes/user/user_middleware.go
+++ b/routes/user/user_middleware.go
@@ -14,8 +14,7 @@ func userToContext(ctx *gin.Context, user_id uint) {
 	var user User
 
 	err := user.ByID(user_id)
-	if err != nil {
-		helper.UnauthorizedAbort(ctx, "Authentication failed (user not found)")
+	if helper.DBError(ctx, err) {
 		return
 	}