diff --git a/core/modules/field/tests/src/Kernel/EntityReference/EntityReferenceItemTest.php b/core/modules/field/tests/src/Kernel/EntityReference/EntityReferenceItemTest.php
index 6dce67b45f..2d98de66d3 100644
--- a/core/modules/field/tests/src/Kernel/EntityReference/EntityReferenceItemTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/field/tests/src/Kernel/EntityReference/EntityReferenceItemTest.php
@@ -524,6 +524,7 @@ public function testAutocreateValidation() {
     $file = File::create([
       'filename' => $filename,
       'status' => 0,
+      'uid' => 1,
     ]);
 
     $entity = EntityTest::create([
diff --git a/core/modules/file/file.routing.yml b/core/modules/file/file.routing.yml
index e182c97ee1..11d754bbc4 100644
--- a/core/modules/file/file.routing.yml
+++ b/core/modules/file/file.routing.yml
@@ -4,3 +4,14 @@ file.ajax_progress:
     _controller: '\Drupal\file\Controller\FileWidgetAjaxController::progress'
   requirements:
     _permission: 'access content'
+file.upload:
+  path: '/file/upload/{file}'
+  methods: [POST]
+  defaults:
+    _controller: '\Drupal\file\Controller\FileUploadController::upload'
+  requirements:
+    _entity_access: 'file.update'
+  options:
+    parameters:
+      file:
+        type: entity:file
diff --git a/core/modules/file/src/Controller/FileUploadController.php b/core/modules/file/src/Controller/FileUploadController.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8703b86c11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/file/src/Controller/FileUploadController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Drupal\file\Controller;
+
+use Drupal\Core\Controller\ControllerBase;
+use Drupal\Core\File\FileSystem;
+use Drupal\file\Entity\File;
+use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerInterface;
+use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request;
+use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;
+use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Exception\HttpException;
+
+/**
+ * Handles binary file uploads.
+ */
+class FileUploadController extends ControllerBase {
+
+  /**
+   * @var \Drupal\Core\File\FileSystem
+   */
+  protected $fileSystem;
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public static function create(ContainerInterface $container) {
+    return new static(
+      $container->get('file_system')
+    );
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Constructs a FileUploadController instance.
+   *
+   * @param \Drupal\Core\File\FileSystem $file_system
+   */
+  public function __construct(FileSystem $file_system) {
+    $this->fileSystem = $file_system;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Handles binary file uploads.
+   *
+   * @param \Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request $request
+   * @param \Drupal\file\Entity\File $file
+   */
+  public function upload(Request $request, File $file) {
+    if ($request->headers->get('Content-Type') !== 'application/octet-stream') {
+      throw new HttpException(400, '"application/octet-stream" content type must be used to send binary file data');
+    }
+
+    // Check the destination file path is writable.
+    if (!is_writable($this->fileSystem->realpath($file->getFileUri()))) {
+      throw new HttpException(500, 'Destination file path is not writable');
+    }
+
+    $this->streamUploadData($file);
+
+    return new Response('OK');
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Streams file upload data to temporary file and moves to file destination.
+   *
+   * @param \Drupal\file\Entity\File $file
+   *
+   * @throws \Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Exception\HttpException
+   */
+  protected function streamUploadData(File $file) {
+    // 'rb' is needed so reading works correctly on windows environments too.
+    $file_data = fopen('php://input','rb');
+
+    $temp_file_name = $this->fileSystem->tempnam('temporary://', 'file');
+
+    if ($temp_file = fopen($temp_file_name, 'wb')) {
+      while(!feof($file_data)) {
+        fwrite($temp_file, fread($file_data, 8192));
+      }
+
+      fclose($temp_file);
+
+      // Move the file to the correct location based on the file entity,
+      // replacing any existing file.
+      if (!file_unmanaged_move($temp_file_name, $file->getFileUri(), FILE_EXISTS_REPLACE)) {
+        throw new HttpException(500, 'Temporary file could not be moved to file location');
+      }
+    }
+    else {
+      $this->getLogger('file system')->error('Temporary file "%path" could not be opened for file upload', ['%path' => $temp_file_name]);
+      throw new HttpException(500, 'Temporary file could not be opened');
+    }
+
+    fclose($file_data);
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/modules/file/src/Entity/File.php b/core/modules/file/src/Entity/File.php
index a68b9bae9b..b8c130728c 100644
--- a/core/modules/file/src/Entity/File.php
+++ b/core/modules/file/src/Entity/File.php
@@ -234,6 +234,7 @@ public static function baseFieldDefinitions(EntityTypeInterface $entity_type) {
     $fields['uid'] = BaseFieldDefinition::create('entity_reference')
       ->setLabel(t('User ID'))
       ->setDescription(t('The user ID of the file.'))
+      ->setDefaultValueCallback('\Drupal\file\Entity\File::getCurrentUserId')
       ->setSetting('target_type', 'user');
 
     $fields['filename'] = BaseFieldDefinition::create('string')
@@ -274,4 +275,16 @@ public static function baseFieldDefinitions(EntityTypeInterface $entity_type) {
     return $fields;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Default value callback for 'uid' base field definition.
+   *
+   * @see \Drupal\file\Entity\File::baseFieldDefinitions::baseFieldDefinitions().
+   *
+   * @return array
+   *   An array of default values.
+   */
+  public static function getCurrentUserId() {
+    return array(\Drupal::currentUser()->id());
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/core/modules/file/src/FileAccessControlHandler.php b/core/modules/file/src/FileAccessControlHandler.php
index a82c460539..9475458c2b 100644
--- a/core/modules/file/src/FileAccessControlHandler.php
+++ b/core/modules/file/src/FileAccessControlHandler.php
@@ -47,10 +47,11 @@ protected function checkAccess(EntityInterface $entity, $operation, AccountInter
 
     if ($operation == 'delete' || $operation == 'update') {
       $account = $this->prepareUser($account);
-      $file_uid = $entity->get('uid')->getValue();
-      // Only the file owner can delete and update the file entity.
-      if ($account->id() == $file_uid[0]['target_id']) {
-        return AccessResult::allowed();
+      $file_uid = $entity->get('uid')->target_id;
+      // Only admins or the file owner can delete and update the file entity.
+      // @todo Create a new permission to handle this?
+      if ($account->hasPermission('administer nodes') || ($account->id() == $file_uid)) {
+        return AccessResult::allowed()->cachePerPermissions();
       }
       return AccessResult::forbidden();
     }
@@ -96,8 +97,6 @@ protected function checkCreateAccess(AccountInterface $account, array $context,
     // create file entities that are referenced from another entity
     // (e.g. an image for a article). A contributed module is free to alter
     // this to allow file entities to be created directly.
-    // @todo Update comment to mention REST module when
-    //   https://www.drupal.org/node/1927648 is fixed.
     return AccessResult::neutral();
   }
 
diff --git a/core/modules/hal/hal.services.yml b/core/modules/hal/hal.services.yml
index 97fcbfb13d..63a3d7ab4d 100644
--- a/core/modules/hal/hal.services.yml
+++ b/core/modules/hal/hal.services.yml
@@ -12,11 +12,6 @@ services:
     class: Drupal\hal\Normalizer\FieldNormalizer
     tags:
       - { name: normalizer, priority: 10 }
-  serializer.normalizer.file_entity.hal:
-    class: Drupal\hal\Normalizer\FileEntityNormalizer
-    tags:
-      - { name: normalizer, priority: 20 }
-    arguments: ['@entity.manager', '@http_client', '@hal.link_manager', '@module_handler']
   serializer.normalizer.entity.hal:
     class: Drupal\hal\Normalizer\ContentEntityNormalizer
     arguments: ['@hal.link_manager', '@entity.manager', '@module_handler']
diff --git a/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php b/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php
deleted file mode 100644
index ec870e9e14..0000000000
--- a/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,70 +0,0 @@
-<?php
-
-namespace Drupal\hal\Normalizer;
-
-use Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityManagerInterface;
-use Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandlerInterface;
-use Drupal\hal\LinkManager\LinkManagerInterface;
-use GuzzleHttp\ClientInterface;
-
-/**
- * Converts the Drupal entity object structure to a HAL array structure.
- */
-class FileEntityNormalizer extends ContentEntityNormalizer {
-
-  /**
-   * The interface or class that this Normalizer supports.
-   *
-   * @var string
-   */
-  protected $supportedInterfaceOrClass = 'Drupal\file\FileInterface';
-
-  /**
-   * The HTTP client.
-   *
-   * @var \GuzzleHttp\ClientInterface
-   */
-  protected $httpClient;
-
-  /**
-   * Constructs a FileEntityNormalizer object.
-   *
-   * @param \Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityManagerInterface $entity_manager
-   *   The entity manager.
-   * @param \GuzzleHttp\ClientInterface $http_client
-   *   The HTTP Client.
-   * @param \Drupal\hal\LinkManager\LinkManagerInterface $link_manager
-   *   The hypermedia link manager.
-   * @param \Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandlerInterface $module_handler
-   *   The module handler.
-   */
-  public function __construct(EntityManagerInterface $entity_manager, ClientInterface $http_client, LinkManagerInterface $link_manager, ModuleHandlerInterface $module_handler) {
-    parent::__construct($link_manager, $entity_manager, $module_handler);
-
-    $this->httpClient = $http_client;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * {@inheritdoc}
-   */
-  public function normalize($entity, $format = NULL, array $context = []) {
-    $data = parent::normalize($entity, $format, $context);
-    // Replace the file url with a full url for the file.
-    $data['uri'][0]['value'] = $this->getEntityUri($entity);
-
-    return $data;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * {@inheritdoc}
-   */
-  public function denormalize($data, $class, $format = NULL, array $context = []) {
-    $file_data = (string) $this->httpClient->get($data['uri'][0]['value'])->getBody();
-
-    $path = 'temporary://' . drupal_basename($data['uri'][0]['value']);
-    $data['uri'] = file_unmanaged_save_data($file_data, $path);
-
-    return $this->entityManager->getStorage('file')->create($data);
-  }
-
-}
diff --git a/core/modules/hal/tests/src/Functional/FileDenormalizeTest.php b/core/modules/hal/tests/src/Functional/FileDenormalizeTest.php
index 05ee234893..8202a367da 100644
--- a/core/modules/hal/tests/src/Functional/FileDenormalizeTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/hal/tests/src/Functional/FileDenormalizeTest.php
@@ -41,35 +41,10 @@ public function testFileDenormalize() {
 
     $this->assertTrue($denormalized instanceof File, 'A File instance was created.');
 
-    $this->assertIdentical('temporary://' . $file->getFilename(), $denormalized->getFileUri(), 'The expected file URI was found.');
-    $this->assertTrue(file_exists($denormalized->getFileUri()), 'The temporary file was found.');
-
     $this->assertIdentical($file->uuid(), $denormalized->uuid(), 'The expected UUID was found');
     $this->assertIdentical($file->getMimeType(), $denormalized->getMimeType(), 'The expected MIME type was found.');
     $this->assertIdentical($file->getFilename(), $denormalized->getFilename(), 'The expected filename was found.');
     $this->assertTrue($denormalized->isPermanent(), 'The file has a permanent status.');
-
-    // Try to denormalize with the file uri only.
-    $file_name = 'test_2.txt';
-    $file_path = 'public://' . $file_name;
-
-    file_put_contents($file_path, 'hello world');
-    $file_uri = file_create_url($file_path);
-
-    $data = [
-      'uri' => [
-        ['value' => $file_uri],
-      ],
-    ];
-
-    $denormalized = $serializer->denormalize($data, 'Drupal\file\Entity\File', 'hal_json');
-
-    $this->assertIdentical('temporary://' . $file_name, $denormalized->getFileUri(), 'The expected file URI was found.');
-    $this->assertTrue(file_exists($denormalized->getFileUri()), 'The temporary file was found.');
-
-    $this->assertIdentical('text/plain', $denormalized->getMimeType(), 'The expected MIME type was found.');
-    $this->assertIdentical($file_name, $denormalized->getFilename(), 'The expected filename was found.');
-    $this->assertFalse($denormalized->isPermanent(), 'The file has a permanent status.');
   }
 
 }
