diff --git a/api/handlers.go b/api/handlers.go
index f467260b..bbba8bc8 100644
--- a/api/handlers.go
+++ b/api/handlers.go
@@ -90,20 +90,14 @@ func DELETELayers(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, p httprouter.Params, e
 // GETLayers returns informations about an existing layer, optionally with its features
 // and vulnerabilities.
 func GETLayers(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, p httprouter.Params, e *Env) {
-	withFeatures := false
-	withVulnerabilities := false
-	if r.URL.Query().Get("withFeatures") == "true" {
-		withFeatures = true
-	}
-	if r.URL.Query().Get("withVulnerabilities") == "true" {
-		withFeatures = true
-		withVulnerabilities = true
-	}
+	_, withFeatures := r.URL.Query()["withFeatures"]
+	_, withVulnerabilities := r.URL.Query()["withVulnerabilities"]
 
 	layer, err := e.Datastore.FindLayer(p.ByName("id"), withFeatures, withVulnerabilities)
 	if err != nil {
 		httputils.WriteHTTPError(w, 0, err)
 		return
 	}
+
 	httputils.WriteHTTP(w, http.StatusOK, struct{ Layer database.Layer }{Layer: layer})
 }
diff --git a/database/models.go b/database/models.go
index a7bef10d..31c5904b 100644
--- a/database/models.go
+++ b/database/models.go
@@ -4,17 +4,17 @@ import "github.com/coreos/clair/utils/types"
 
 // ID is only meant to be used by database implementations and should never be used for anything else.
 type Model struct {
-	ID int
+	ID int `json:"-"`
 }
 
 type Layer struct {
 	Model
 
 	Name          string
-	EngineVersion int
-	Parent        *Layer
-	Namespace     *Namespace
-	Features      []FeatureVersion
+	EngineVersion int              `json:",omitempty"`
+	Parent        *Layer           `json:",omitempty"`
+	Namespace     *Namespace       `json:",omitempty"`
+	Features      []FeatureVersion `json:",omitempty"`
 }
 
 type Namespace struct {
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ type FeatureVersion struct {
 
 	Feature    Feature
 	Version    types.Version
-	AffectedBy []Vulnerability
+	AffectedBy []Vulnerability `json:",omitempty"`
 }
 
 type Vulnerability struct {
@@ -48,10 +48,10 @@ type Vulnerability struct {
 	Link        string
 	Severity    types.Priority
 
-	FixedIn []FeatureVersion
+	FixedIn []FeatureVersion `json:",omitempty"`
 	//Affects []FeatureVersion
 
 	// For output purposes. Only make sense when the vulnerability
 	// is already about a specific Feature/FeatureVersion.
-	FixedBy types.Version
+	FixedBy types.Version `json:",omitempty"`
 }