We could run a small backed express instance alongside the frontend within the docker container build that:

This would require a few things, not a small task at all. Creating an API means We'd need to document it, support it (don't need to worry about backwards compat since only the packaged frontend will be able to use it)

Backend changes:

• Change the Dockerfile to use express with some static middleware for the frontend.
• Create a new basic express (or similar) server that has drivers for postgresql, pictrs? (is this a volume that we can mount?) etc
• Expose this api at /api/v1

Frontend changes:

• Detect if API is exposed or use build param in github action
• Create modules fo things:
  • Viewing Pictrs Images and their links to Lemmy content (ability to delete unlinked images/view IP's? that ccreated them)
  • Viewing more user data? Does the Lemmy DB have user IPs, or something else we can use to detect spam accounts?
  • View other cool stats/data? Reports?

Unknowns:

• Auth? Can we just use the same token mechanism that Lemmy uses? Should we add something more...