diff --git a/packages/boot/src/boot.component.ts b/packages/boot/src/boot.component.ts
index ec43376b922b..e5474f0eace0 100644
--- a/packages/boot/src/boot.component.ts
+++ b/packages/boot/src/boot.component.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   RepositoryBooter,
   DataSourceBooter,
   ServiceBooter,
+  ApplicationMetadataBooter,
 } from './booters';
 import {BootBindings} from './keys';
 
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ export class BootComponent implements Component {
   // Export a list of default booters in the component so they get bound
   // automatically when this component is mounted.
   booters = [
+    ApplicationMetadataBooter,
     ControllerBooter,
     RepositoryBooter,
     ServiceBooter,
diff --git a/packages/boot/src/booters/application-metadata.booter.ts b/packages/boot/src/booters/application-metadata.booter.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a5cd33aac067
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/boot/src/booters/application-metadata.booter.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+// Copyright IBM Corp. 2018. All Rights Reserved.
+// Node module: @loopback/boot
+// This file is licensed under the MIT License.
+// License text available at https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
+
+import {CoreBindings, Application} from '@loopback/core';
+import {inject} from '@loopback/context';
+import {BootBindings} from '../keys';
+import {Booter} from '../interfaces';
+import path = require('path');
+
+import * as debugModule from 'debug';
+const debug = debugModule('loopback:boot:booter:application-metadata');
+
+/**
+ *
+ * Configure the application with metadata from `package.json`
+ *
+ * @param app Application instance
+ * @param projectRoot Root of User Project
+ */
+export class ApplicationMetadataBooter implements Booter {
+  constructor(
+    @inject(CoreBindings.APPLICATION_INSTANCE) public app: Application,
+    @inject(BootBindings.PROJECT_ROOT) private projectRoot: string,
+  ) {}
+
+  async configure() {
+    try {
+      const pkg = require(path.resolve(this.projectRoot, 'package.json'));
+      this.app.setMetadata(pkg);
+    } catch (err) {
+      debug('package.json not found', err);
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/boot/src/booters/index.ts b/packages/boot/src/booters/index.ts
index fcf21cce42fd..6bb4f8676110 100644
--- a/packages/boot/src/booters/index.ts
+++ b/packages/boot/src/booters/index.ts
@@ -9,3 +9,4 @@ export * from './controller.booter';
 export * from './datasource.booter';
 export * from './repository.booter';
 export * from './service.booter';
+export * from './application-metadata.booter';
diff --git a/packages/boot/test/acceptance/application-metadata.booter.acceptance.ts b/packages/boot/test/acceptance/application-metadata.booter.acceptance.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..19a1caa458ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/boot/test/acceptance/application-metadata.booter.acceptance.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+// Copyright IBM Corp. 2018. All Rights Reserved.
+// Node module: @loopback/boot
+// This file is licensed under the MIT License.
+// License text available at https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
+
+import {givenHttpServerConfig, TestSandbox, expect} from '@loopback/testlab';
+import {resolve} from 'path';
+import {BooterApp} from '../fixtures/application';
+import {CoreBindings} from '@loopback/core';
+
+describe('application metadata booter acceptance tests', () => {
+  let app: BooterApp;
+  const SANDBOX_PATH = resolve(__dirname, '../../.sandbox');
+  const sandbox = new TestSandbox(SANDBOX_PATH);
+
+  beforeEach('reset sandbox', () => sandbox.reset());
+  beforeEach(getApp);
+
+  afterEach(stopApp);
+
+  it('binds content of package.json to application metadata', async () => {
+    await app.boot();
+    const metadata = await app.get(CoreBindings.APPLICATION_METADATA);
+    expect(metadata).containEql({
+      name: 'boot-test-app',
+      version: '1.0.0',
+      description: 'boot-test-app',
+    });
+  });
+
+  async function getApp() {
+    await sandbox.copyFile(resolve(__dirname, '../fixtures/package.json'));
+    await sandbox.copyFile(resolve(__dirname, '../fixtures/application.js'));
+
+    const MyApp = require(resolve(SANDBOX_PATH, 'application.js')).BooterApp;
+    app = new MyApp({
+      rest: givenHttpServerConfig(),
+    });
+  }
+
+  async function stopApp() {
+    try {
+      await app.stop();
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.log(`Stopping the app threw an error: ${err}`);
+    }
+  }
+});
diff --git a/packages/boot/test/acceptance/controller.booter.acceptance.ts b/packages/boot/test/acceptance/controller.booter.acceptance.ts
index 05508dc1bd4c..0e92889251e3 100644
--- a/packages/boot/test/acceptance/controller.booter.acceptance.ts
+++ b/packages/boot/test/acceptance/controller.booter.acceptance.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ describe('controller booter acceptance tests', () => {
   });
 
   async function getApp() {
+    await sandbox.copyFile(resolve(__dirname, '../fixtures/package.json'));
     await sandbox.copyFile(resolve(__dirname, '../fixtures/application.js'));
     await sandbox.copyFile(
       resolve(__dirname, '../fixtures/multiple.artifact.js'),
diff --git a/packages/boot/test/fixtures/application.ts b/packages/boot/test/fixtures/application.ts
index 492e1130a5e3..6d129389c5c1 100644
--- a/packages/boot/test/fixtures/application.ts
+++ b/packages/boot/test/fixtures/application.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@ import {RestApplication} from '@loopback/rest';
 import {ServiceMixin} from '@loopback/service-proxy';
 import {BootMixin} from '../..';
 
+// Force package.json to be copied to `dist` by `tsc`
+//tslint:disable-next-line:no-unused-variable
+import * as pkg from './package.json';
+
 export class BooterApp extends BootMixin(
   ServiceMixin(RepositoryMixin(RestApplication)),
 ) {
diff --git a/packages/boot/test/fixtures/package.json b/packages/boot/test/fixtures/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e827db359b36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/boot/test/fixtures/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+{
+  "name": "boot-test-app",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "description": "boot-test-app",
+  "keywords": [
+    "loopback-application",
+    "loopback"
+  ],
+  "engines": {
+    "node": ">=8.9"
+  },
+  "scripts": {
+  },
+  "repository": {
+    "type": "git"
+  },
+  "author": "",
+  "license": ""
+}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/application.ts b/packages/core/src/application.ts
index a94596ae36bf..75693f44c8a1 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/application.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/application.ts
@@ -192,6 +192,16 @@ export class Application extends Context {
     const instance = this.getSync<Component>(componentKey);
     mountComponent(this, instance);
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Set application metadata. `@loopback/boot` calls this method to populate
+   * the metadata from `package.json`.
+   *
+   * @param metadata Application metadata
+   */
+  public setMetadata(metadata: ApplicationMetadata) {
+    this.bind(CoreBindings.APPLICATION_METADATA).to(metadata);
+  }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -207,3 +217,22 @@ export interface ApplicationConfig {
 
 // tslint:disable-next-line:no-any
 export type ControllerClass = Constructor<any>;
+
+/**
+ * Type definition for JSON
+ */
+export type JSONPrimitive = string | number | boolean | null;
+export type JSONValue = JSONPrimitive | JSONObject | JSONArray;
+export interface JSONObject {
+  [property: string]: JSONValue;
+}
+export interface JSONArray extends Array<JSONValue> {}
+
+/**
+ * Type description for `package.json`
+ */
+export interface ApplicationMetadata extends JSONObject {
+  name: string;
+  version: string;
+  description: string;
+}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/keys.ts b/packages/core/src/keys.ts
index 3050150bdefe..847388fc339c 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/keys.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/keys.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 // License text available at https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
 
 import {BindingKey} from '@loopback/context';
-import {Application, ControllerClass} from './application';
+import {Application, ControllerClass, ApplicationMetadata} from './application';
 
 /**
  * Namespace for core binding keys
@@ -25,6 +25,13 @@ export namespace CoreBindings {
     'application.config',
   );
 
+  /**
+   * Binding key for the content of `package.json`
+   */
+  export const APPLICATION_METADATA = BindingKey.create<ApplicationMetadata>(
+    'application.metadata',
+  );
+
   // server
   /**
    * Binding key for servers