- update: Dockerfile layer reordering to speed up build times and lower image space needed

- add: .dockerignore file to reduce file transfers and remove unneeded files in image

frontend/Dockerfile

@@ -1,21 +1,17 @@
 # Step 1: Build the React app
-FROM node:20 AS build
+FROM node:22-alpine AS build
 
 # Set working directory
 WORKDIR /app
 
 # Copy package.json and install dependencies
 COPY package*.json ./
-RUN npm install
-
-# Copy the source code
+RUN npm ci
 COPY . .
-
-# Build the React app
 RUN npm run build
 
 # Step 2: Serve the React app using nginx
-FROM nginx:1.25
+FROM nginx:alpine
 
 # Copy the built React files to the nginx html folder
 COPY --from=build /app/build /usr/share/nginx/html