diff --git a/.nvmrc b/.nvmrc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..620c5e1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.nvmrc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+v22.9.0
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index c3c69351..3d5358f0 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -69,6 +69,11 @@ RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/uv \
 # Then, use a final image without uv
 FROM python:3.12-slim-bookworm
 
+# Install system dependencies, including libexpat1 and clean up the cache
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    libexpat1 \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
 # Copy the application from the builder
 COPY --from=builder --chown=app:app /app /app
 
diff --git a/front/.env b/front/.env
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cfc9f71e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/front/.env
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_HOST=http://localhost:5000
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/front/package-lock.json b/front/package-lock.json
index ea0b4b58..33a69aab 100644
--- a/front/package-lock.json
+++ b/front/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "whombat-front",
-  "version": "0.6.1",
+  "version": "0.7.0",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "whombat-front",
-      "version": "0.6.1",
+      "version": "0.7.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@headlessui-float/react": "^0.13.3",
         "@headlessui/react": "^1.7.19",
diff --git a/front/src/app/api.ts b/front/src/app/api.ts
index a81e60ee..c4d680bf 100644
--- a/front/src/app/api.ts
+++ b/front/src/app/api.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import createAPI from "@/lib/api";
 
 const api = createAPI({
-  baseURL: "http://localhost:5000",
+  baseURL: `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_HOST}`,
   withCredentials: true,
 });
 
diff --git a/front/src/lib/api/common.ts b/front/src/lib/api/common.ts
index 0a3e9475..b7b578b5 100644
--- a/front/src/lib/api/common.ts
+++ b/front/src/lib/api/common.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { z } from "zod";
 
 import { GetManySchema } from "@/lib/schemas";
 
-export const HOST = "http://localhost:5000";
+export const HOST = `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_HOST}`;
 export const BASE_ROUTE = `/api/v1`;
 
 export const instance = axios.create({
diff --git a/front/src/lib/api/index.ts b/front/src/lib/api/index.ts
index 12740cfa..e3e27e4f 100644
--- a/front/src/lib/api/index.ts
+++ b/front/src/lib/api/index.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ type APIConfig = {
 };
 
 const DEFAULT_CONFIG: APIConfig = {
-  baseURL: "http://localhost:5000",
+  baseURL: `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_HOST}`,
   withCredentials: true,
 };