Calling Backend Services

The frontend reaches every backend service through its own hostname, with one API-client instance per service:

1. CORS — the frontend origin must be in the service's CORS_ORIGINS.
2. Base URL — a NEXT_PUBLIC_<NAME>_API_URL env var in .env.local (+ .example) and infra/env/public-page.env.prod (+ .example). NEXT_PUBLIC_* values are baked in at build time: restart the dev container / rebuild the prod image to pick them up.
3. API client — add the base URL to lib/api/config.ts and export a client instance for it in lib/api/client.ts, then wrap the endpoints in a lib/api/services/<name>.service.ts with types in lib/api/types.ts.
4. UI — fetch through the service module. Any user-facing text needs keys in all locale catalogues under messages/.

The dashboard's activity panel (fed by the second example service) is the worked example of all four steps: service2ApiClient in lib/api/client.ts, analytics.service.ts, and app/dashboard/components/analytics-panel.tsx.

Next: Writing Docs.