diff --git a/lib/cartodb/controllers/named_maps.js b/lib/cartodb/controllers/named_maps.js
index 09553081..a428bc5c 100644
--- a/lib/cartodb/controllers/named_maps.js
+++ b/lib/cartodb/controllers/named_maps.js
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ NamedMapsController.prototype.create = function(req, res) {
 
     step(
         function checkPerms(){
-            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(req, this);
+            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(cdbuser, req, this);
         },
         function addTemplate(err, authenticated) {
             assert.ifError(err);
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ NamedMapsController.prototype.update = function(req, res) {
     var tpl_id;
     step(
         function checkPerms(){
-            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(req, this);
+            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(cdbuser, req, this);
         },
         function updateTemplate(err, authenticated) {
             assert.ifError(err);
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ NamedMapsController.prototype.retrieve = function(req, res) {
     var tpl_id;
     step(
         function checkPerms(){
-            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(req, this);
+            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(cdbuser, req, this);
         },
         function getTemplate(err, authenticated) {
             assert.ifError(err);
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ NamedMapsController.prototype.destroy = function(req, res) {
     var tpl_id;
     step(
         function checkPerms(){
-            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(req, this);
+            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(cdbuser, req, this);
         },
         function deleteTemplate(err, authenticated) {
             assert.ifError(err);
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ NamedMapsController.prototype.list = function(req, res) {
 
     step(
         function checkPerms(){
-            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(req, this);
+            self.app.authorizedByAPIKey(cdbuser, req, this);
         },
         function listTemplates(err, authenticated) {
             assert.ifError(err);
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ function finishFn(app, res, description, okResponse) {
 }
 
 function ifUnauthenticated(authenticated, description) {
-    if (authenticated !== 1) {
+    if (!authenticated) {
         var err = new Error(description);
         err.http_status = 403;
         throw err;
diff --git a/lib/cartodb/server.js b/lib/cartodb/server.js
index 1b67152b..47637a6d 100644
--- a/lib/cartodb/server.js
+++ b/lib/cartodb/server.js
@@ -805,11 +805,6 @@ module.exports = function(serverOptions) {
         var layergroup_id = req.params.token;
         var auth_token = req.params.auth_token;
 
-        var mapStore = req.app.mapStore;
-        if (!mapStore) {
-            throw new Error('Unable to retrieve map configuration token');
-        }
-
         mapStore.load(layergroup_id, function(err, mapConfig) {
             if (err) {
                 return callback(err);
@@ -823,29 +818,27 @@ module.exports = function(serverOptions) {
 
     // Check if a request is authorized by api_key
     //
+    // @param user
     // @param req express request object
     // @param callback function(err, authorized)
     //        NOTE: authorized is expected to be 0 or 1 (integer)
     //
-    app.authorizedByAPIKey = function(req, callback) {
+    app.authorizedByAPIKey = function(user, req, callback) {
         var givenKey = req.query.api_key || req.query.map_key;
         if ( ! givenKey && req.body ) {
             // check also in request body
             givenKey = req.body.api_key || req.body.map_key;
         }
         if ( ! givenKey ) {
-            callback(null, 0); // no api key, no authorization...
-            return;
+            return callback(null, 0); // no api key, no authorization...
         }
-        //console.log("given ApiKey: " + givenKey);
-        var user = cdbRequest.userByReq(req);
         step(
-            function (){
+            function () {
                 metadataBackend.getUserMapKey(user, this);
             },
             function checkApiKey(err, val){
                 assert.ifError(err);
-                return ( val && givenKey == val ) ? 1 : 0;
+                return val && givenKey == val;
             },
             function finish(err, authorized) {
                 callback(err, authorized);
@@ -865,7 +858,7 @@ module.exports = function(serverOptions) {
 
         step(
             function () {
-                self.authorizedByAPIKey(req, this);
+                self.authorizedByAPIKey(user, req, this);
             },
             function checkApiKey(err, authorized){
                 if (req.profiler) {
@@ -874,11 +867,9 @@ module.exports = function(serverOptions) {
                 assert.ifError(err);
 
                 // if not authorized by api_key, continue
-                if (authorized !== 1)  {
-                    // not authorized by api_key,
-                    // check if authorized by signer
-                    self.authorizedBySigner(req, this);
-                    return;
+                if (!authorized)  {
+                    // not authorized by api_key, check if authorized by signer
+                    return self.authorizedBySigner(req, this);
                 }
 
                 // authorized by api key, login as the given username and stop
@@ -898,13 +889,11 @@ module.exports = function(serverOptions) {
                     // PostgreSQL do the rest.
                     //
                     if ( ! req.params.signer ) {
-                        callback(null, true); // authorized so far
-                        return;
+                        return callback(null, true); // authorized so far
                     }
 
                     // if signer name was given, return no authorization
-                    callback(null, false);
-                    return;
+                    return callback(null, false);
                 }
 
                 pgConnection.setDBAuth(signed_by, req.params, function(err) {