diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 4e9dbc7..aaa5520 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -88,10 +88,10 @@ services:
       retries: 5
     environment:
       - NODE_ENV=production
-      - VITE_API_URL=http://api:8000
+      - VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000
     restart: unless-stopped
     # NOTE: All services now run in Docker on the same network
-    # Frontend: http://api:8000 (Docker service name resolution)
+    # Frontend: http://localhost:8000 (Docker service name resolution)
     # Consumer: Still runs on host, connects to kafka:29092
 
 volumes:
diff --git a/frontend/src/App.tsx b/frontend/src/App.tsx
index e4224d6..fc2a987 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/App.tsx
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ interface Result {
   timestamp: string;
 }
 
-// Default to Docker API service name (will be overridden by environment variable if needed)
-const API_BASE_URL = 'http://api:8000';
+// Use localhost when browser accesses from host machine
+const API_BASE_URL = 'http://localhost:8000';
 
 const App: React.FC = () => {
   const [auth, setAuth] = useState<AuthState>({