UPDATE

ENV.md

@@ -5,22 +5,28 @@ This document describes all environment variables needed for the frontend applic
 ## Required Environment Variables
 
 ### Server Configuration
+
 - `PORT` - Server port (default: 9031)
 - `NODE_ENV` - Node environment (production/development)
 
 ### Next.js Configuration
+
 - `BASEPATH` - Base path for Next.js application (optional, leave empty for root)
 - `NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL` - Public URL of the application (e.g., http://localhost:9031)
 - `NEXT_PUBLIC_DOCS_URL` - Documentation URL (optional)
 
 ### API Configuration
-- `NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL` or `ENVOY_GATEWAY_URL` - Envoy Gateway URL for backend API calls (e.g., http://85.208.253.135:8000)
-  - This is used by the frontend to communicate with backend services via Envoy Gateway
-  - Defaults to `http://85.208.253.135:8000` if not set
+
+- `NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL` - Public API URL for browser-side frontend requests (e.g., http://85.208.253.135:8000)
+  - Use this for anything that runs in the browser
+- `ENVOY_GATEWAY_URL` - Server-side fallback API URL
+  - This is only available in Next.js server runtime and is not exposed to the browser
+  - Defaults to `http://85.208.253.135:8000` if neither variable is set
 
 ## Optional Environment Variables
 
 ### Mapbox
+
 - `MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN` - Mapbox access token for map features
 
 ## Example .env file
@@ -45,8 +51,5 @@ MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN=your-mapbox-access-token
 
 ## Docker Configuration
 
-When using Docker, these environment variables are set in `docker-compose.yaml`. 
+When using Docker, these environment variables are set in `docker-compose.yaml`.
 For local development, create a `.env` file in the frontend directory with the values above.
-
-
-