diff --git a/configuration/config.go b/configuration/config.go
index 65765ee..18e8fe3 100644
--- a/configuration/config.go
+++ b/configuration/config.go
@@ -23,9 +23,10 @@ package configuration
 
 import (
 	"flag"
-	"github.com/zpatrick/go-config"
 	"log"
 	"os"
+
+	"github.com/zpatrick/go-config"
 )
 
 // Global configuration
@@ -50,22 +51,28 @@ func InitConfig() error {
 		port       = flag.String("port", "4000", "Port of the backend (default is 4000)")
 		baseHost   = flag.String("base-host", "localhost:4000", "The host at which the backend is hosted (default: localhost)")
 		basePath   = flag.String("base-path", "/api/v2", "The path at which the API routes are located (default /api/v2)")
+		adminUser  = flag.String("admin-user", "", "Initial admin username")
+		adminPass  = flag.String("admin-pass", "", "Initial admin password")
+		adminMail  = flag.String("admin-mail", "", "Initial admin mail address")
 	)
 	flag.Parse()
 
 	static := map[string]string{
-		"db.host":   *dbHost,
-		"db.name":   *dbName,
-		"db.user":   *dbUser,
-		"db.pass":   *dbPass,
-		"db.ssl":    *dbSSLMode,
-		"amqp.host": *amqpHost,
-		"amqp.user": *amqpUser,
-		"amqp.pass": *amqpPass,
-		"mode":      *mode,
-		"port":      *port,
-		"base.host": *baseHost,
-		"base.path": *basePath,
+		"db.host":    *dbHost,
+		"db.name":    *dbName,
+		"db.user":    *dbUser,
+		"db.pass":    *dbPass,
+		"db.ssl":     *dbSSLMode,
+		"amqp.host":  *amqpHost,
+		"amqp.user":  *amqpUser,
+		"amqp.pass":  *amqpPass,
+		"mode":       *mode,
+		"port":       *port,
+		"base.host":  *baseHost,
+		"base.path":  *basePath,
+		"admin.user": *adminUser,
+		"admin.pass": *adminPass,
+		"admin.mail": *adminMail,
 	}
 
 	mappings := map[string]string{
@@ -81,6 +88,9 @@ func InitConfig() error {
 		"BASE_PATH":  "base.path",
 		"MODE":       "mode",
 		"PORT":       "port",
+		"ADMIN_USER": "admin.user",
+		"ADMIN_PASS": "admin.pass",
+		"ADMIN_MAIL": "admin.mail",
 	}
 
 	defaults := config.NewStatic(static)
@@ -151,5 +161,4 @@ func ConfigureBackend() (string, string, string, string, string, string, string,
 	AMQPpass, _ := GolbalConfig.String("amqp.pass")
 
 	return mode, baseHost, basePath, port, AMQPhost, AMQPuser, AMQPpass, nil
-
 }
diff --git a/helper/test_data.go b/helper/test_data.go
index 0d6f304..c04d757 100644
--- a/helper/test_data.go
+++ b/helper/test_data.go
@@ -24,10 +24,14 @@ package helper
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"math/rand"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
 	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/database"
 	"github.com/jinzhu/gorm/dialects/postgres"
+	"github.com/zpatrick/go-config"
 	"golang.org/x/crypto/bcrypt"
-	"time"
 )
 
 // #######################################################################
@@ -321,8 +325,22 @@ var WidgetE = database.Widget{
 	SignalIDs:        []int64{},
 }
 
-// add a default admin user to the DB
-func DBAddAdminUser() error {
+func generatePassword(Len int) string {
+	rand.Seed(time.Now().UnixNano())
+	chars := []rune("ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ" +
+		"abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz" +
+		"0123456789")
+
+	var b strings.Builder
+	for i := 0; i < Len; i++ {
+		b.WriteRune(chars[rand.Intn(len(chars))])
+	}
+
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+// DBAddAdminUser adds a default admin user to the DB
+func DBAddAdminUser(cfg *config.Config) error {
 	database.DBpool.AutoMigrate(&database.User{})
 
 	// Check if admin user exists in DB
@@ -331,10 +349,31 @@ func DBAddAdminUser() error {
 
 	if len(users) == 0 {
 		fmt.Println("No admin user found in DB, adding default admin user.")
-		//create a copy of global test data
-		user0 := User0
+
+		name, err := cfg.String("admin.user")
+		if err != nil || name == "" {
+			name = "admin"
+		}
+
+		pw, err := cfg.String("admin.pass")
+		if err != nil || pw == "" {
+			pw = generatePassword(16)
+			fmt.Printf("  Generated admin password: %s\n", pw)
+		}
+
+		mail, err := cfg.String("admin.mail")
+		if err == nil || mail == "" {
+			mail = "admin@example.com"
+		}
+
+		pwEnc, _ := bcrypt.GenerateFromPassword([]byte(pw), bcryptCost)
+
+		// create a copy of global test data
+		user := database.User{Username: name, Password: string(pwEnc),
+			Role: "Admin", Mail: mail, Active: true}
+
 		// add admin user to DB
-		err = database.DBpool.Create(&user0).Error
+		err = database.DBpool.Create(&user).Error
 	}
 
 	return err
diff --git a/routes/register.go b/routes/register.go
index 4cc5983..4d49d79 100644
--- a/routes/register.go
+++ b/routes/register.go
@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@ package routes
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"mime/multipart"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"os"
+
 	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/database"
 	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/helper"
 	component_configuration "git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/routes/component-configuration"
@@ -40,11 +46,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
 	ginSwagger "github.com/swaggo/gin-swagger"
 	"github.com/swaggo/gin-swagger/swaggerFiles"
-	"io"
-	"mime/multipart"
-	"net/http"
-	"net/http/httptest"
-	"os"
+	"github.com/zpatrick/go-config"
 )
 
 // register all backend endpoints; to be called after DB is initialized
@@ -74,12 +76,18 @@ func RegisterEndpoints(router *gin.Engine, api *gin.RouterGroup) {
 }
 
 // Uses API endpoints to add test data to the backend; All endpoints have to be registered before invoking this function.
-func AddTestData(basePath string, router *gin.Engine) (*bytes.Buffer, error) {
+func AddTestData(cfg *config.Config, router *gin.Engine) (*bytes.Buffer, error) {
+
+	basePath, err := cfg.String("base.path")
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Println("error: testdata could not be added to DB: no base path specified")
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	database.MigrateModels()
 	// Create entries of each model (data defined in test_data.go)
 	// add Admin user
-	err := helper.DBAddAdminUser()
+	err = helper.DBAddAdminUser(cfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/start.go b/start.go
index c229163..3b0cf5a 100644
--- a/start.go
+++ b/start.go
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"log"
+
 	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/amqp"
 	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/configuration"
 	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/database"
@@ -30,23 +32,23 @@ import (
 	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/helper"
 	"git.rwth-aachen.de/acs/public/villas/web-backend-go/routes"
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
-	"log"
+	"github.com/zpatrick/go-config"
 )
 
-func addData(router *gin.Engine, mode string, basePath string) error {
+func addData(router *gin.Engine, cfg *config.Config) error {
 
-	if mode == "test" {
+	if mode, err := cfg.String("mode"); err == nil && mode == "test" {
 		// test mode: drop all tables and add test data to DB
 		database.DropTables()
 		log.Println("Database tables dropped, using API to add test data")
-		resp, err := routes.AddTestData(basePath, router)
+		resp, err := routes.AddTestData(cfg, router)
 		if err != nil {
 			fmt.Println("error: testdata could not be added to DB:", err.Error(), "Response body: ", resp)
 			return err
 		}
 	} else {
 		// release mode: make sure that at least one admin user exists in DB
-		err := helper.DBAddAdminUser()
+		err := helper.DBAddAdminUser(cfg)
 		if err != nil {
 			fmt.Println("error: adding admin user failed:", err.Error())
 			return err
@@ -95,7 +97,7 @@ func main() {
 	apidocs.SwaggerInfo.BasePath = basePath
 
 	// add data to DB (if any)
-	err = addData(r, mode, basePath)
+	err = addData(r, configuration.GolbalConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}