feat: proxy backend API through Next.js using runtime BACKEND_URL

Previously, NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL was a build-time Next.js variable, making
it impossible to configure the backend URL in docker-compose `environment`
without rebuilding the image.

This change introduces a proper server-side proxy:
- next.config.ts: adds a rewrite rule that forwards all /api/* requests
  to BACKEND_URL (read at server startup, not baked at build time).
  Defaults to http://localhost:8000 so local dev works without config.
- api.ts: API_BASE is now an empty string — all fetch calls use relative
  /api/... paths, which the Next.js server proxies to the backend.
- docker-compose.yml: replaces NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL build arg with a
  runtime BACKEND_URL env var defaulting to http://backend:8000, using
  Docker's internal networking. Port 8000 no longer needs to be exposed.
- README: updates Docker setup docs, standalone compose example, and
  environment variable reference to reflect BACKEND_URL.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Former-commit-id: b4c9e78cdd

frontend/next.config.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 import type { NextConfig } from "next";
 
+// BACKEND_URL is a plain (non-NEXT_PUBLIC_) env var read at server startup —
+// not baked at build time — so it can be set in docker-compose `environment`.
+// Defaults to localhost for local dev where both services run on the same host.
+const backendUrl = process.env.BACKEND_URL ?? "http://localhost:8000";
+
 const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
   transpilePackages: ['react-map-gl', 'mapbox-gl', 'maplibre-gl'],
   output: "standalone",
@@ -9,6 +14,14 @@ const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
   eslint: {
     ignoreDuringBuilds: true,
   },
+  async rewrites() {
+    return [
+      {
+        source: "/api/:path*",
+        destination: `${backendUrl}/api/:path*`,
+      },
+    ];
+  },
 };
 
 export default nextConfig;

frontend/src/app/page.tsx

@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ export default function Dashboard() {
       {backendStatus === 'disconnected' && (
         <div className="absolute top-0 left-0 right-0 z-[9000] flex items-center justify-center py-2 bg-red-950/90 border-b border-red-500/40 backdrop-blur-sm">
           <span className="text-[10px] font-mono tracking-widest text-red-400">
-            BACKEND OFFLINE — Cannot reach {API_BASE}. Start the backend server or check your connection.
+            BACKEND OFFLINE — Cannot reach backend server. Check that the backend container is running and BACKEND_URL is correct.
           </span>
         </div>
       )}

frontend/src/lib/api.ts

@@ -1,28 +1,7 @@
-// NEXT_PUBLIC_* vars are baked at build time in Next.js, so setting them
-// in docker-compose `environment` has no effect at runtime.  Instead we
-// auto-detect: use the browser's current hostname with a configurable port
-// so the dashboard works on localhost, LAN IPs, and custom Docker port maps
-// without any code changes.
-//
-// Override order:
-//   1. Build-time NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL (for advanced users who rebuild the image)
-//   2. Runtime auto-detect from window.location.hostname + port 8000
-
-function resolveApiBase(): string {
-  // Build-time override (works when image is rebuilt with the env var)
-  if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL) {
-    return process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL;
-  }
-
-  // Server-side rendering: fall back to localhost
-  if (typeof window === "undefined") {
-    return "http://localhost:8000";
-  }
-
-  // Client-side: use the same hostname the user is browsing on
-  const proto = window.location.protocol;
-  const host = window.location.hostname;
-  return `${proto}//${host}:8000`;
-}
-
-export const API_BASE = resolveApiBase();
+// All API calls use relative paths (e.g. /api/flights).
+// Next.js rewrites them at the server level to BACKEND_URL (set in docker-compose
+// or .env.local for dev). This means:
+//   - No build-time baking of the backend URL into the client bundle
+//   - BACKEND_URL=http://backend:8000 works via Docker internal networking
+//   - Only port 3000 needs to be exposed externally
+export const API_BASE = "";