diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65c1943
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# ── Frontend (web) ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Backend API base URL. Required in production — the frontend throws at
+# startup if this is unset and NODE_ENV=production.
+BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:3001
+
+# Optional: Plausible analytics. Both must be set for the script to render.
+# NEXT_PUBLIC_PLAUSIBLE_SRC=https://plausible.example.com/script.js
+# NEXT_PUBLIC_PLAUSIBLE_WEBSITE_ID=your-website-id
+
+# ── Backend ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Port the Hono server listens on (default 3001).
+PORT=3001
+
+# IANA timezone used by node-cron schedules and operating-hour windows.
+TZ=America/New_York
+
+# How long a park's schedule data is considered fresh before the tiered
+# scraper re-fetches it (default 72).
+PARK_HOURS_STALENESS_HOURS=72
+
+# Per-IP request limit for the public API, per minute (default 60).
+RATE_LIMIT_PER_MIN=60
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml b/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
index 5dc4f49..abea687 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
@@ -6,8 +6,44 @@ on:
       - main
 
 jobs:
+  verify:
+    name: Lint, typecheck, test
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Setup Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 22
+
+      - name: Install frontend deps
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: Frontend lint
+        run: npm run lint
+
+      - name: Frontend typecheck
+        run: npm run typecheck
+
+      - name: Frontend tests
+        run: npm test
+
+      - name: Install backend deps
+        run: npm ci
+        working-directory: backend
+
+      - name: Backend typecheck
+        run: npm run typecheck
+        working-directory: backend
+
+      - name: Backend tests
+        run: npm test
+        working-directory: backend
+
   build-push:
     name: Build & Push
+    needs: verify
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d772b82..8601431 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ yarn-error.log*
 /backend/data/
 parks.db
 
+# debug script artifacts
+/debug/
+
 # env files
 .env*
 !.env.example
@@ -45,3 +48,4 @@ parks.db
 # typescript
 *.tsbuildinfo
 next-env.d.ts
+.gstack/
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 5f2ed53..75e217e 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -6,13 +6,25 @@ RUN npm ci
 COPY . .
 RUN npm run build
 
-# ── backend-deps: backend node_modules (better-sqlite3 needs build tools) ────
-FROM node:22-bookworm-slim AS backend-deps
+# ── backend-build: compile backend TypeScript to JS (better-sqlite3 build) ───
+FROM node:22-bookworm-slim AS backend-build
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends python3 make g++ && \
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 WORKDIR /app
+COPY backend/package.json backend/package-lock.json* ./backend/
+COPY backend/tsconfig.json ./backend/
+RUN cd backend && npm ci
+COPY backend/src ./backend/src
+COPY lib ./lib
+RUN cd backend && npm run build
+
+# ── backend-prod-deps: production-only node_modules (omits tsc/tsx) ──────────
+FROM node:22-bookworm-slim AS backend-prod-deps
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends python3 make g++ && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+WORKDIR /app/backend
 COPY backend/package.json backend/package-lock.json* ./
-RUN npm ci
+RUN npm ci --omit=dev
 
 # ── web ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # Minimal Next.js standalone runner. No database, no native modules.
@@ -37,6 +49,7 @@ CMD ["node", "server.js"]
 
 # ── backend ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # Hono API server + node-cron scheduler. Owns the SQLite database exclusively.
+# Runs compiled JS (no tsx/tsc at runtime).
 FROM node:22-bookworm-slim AS backend
 WORKDIR /app
 
@@ -45,11 +58,9 @@ ENV NODE_ENV=production
 RUN addgroup --system --gid 1001 nodejs && \
     adduser --system --uid 1001 nextjs
 
-COPY --from=backend-deps --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/node_modules ./backend/node_modules
-COPY --chown=nextjs:nodejs backend/src ./backend/src
+COPY --from=backend-prod-deps --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/backend/node_modules ./backend/node_modules
+COPY --from=backend-build --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/backend/dist ./backend/dist
 COPY --chown=nextjs:nodejs backend/package.json ./backend/package.json
-COPY --chown=nextjs:nodejs backend/tsconfig.json ./backend/tsconfig.json
-COPY --chown=nextjs:nodejs lib ./lib
 
 RUN mkdir -p /app/backend/data && chown nextjs:nodejs /app/backend/data
 VOLUME ["/app/backend/data"]
@@ -59,4 +70,4 @@ EXPOSE 3001
 ENV PORT=3001
 
 WORKDIR /app/backend
-CMD ["npx", "tsx", "src/index.ts"]
+CMD ["node", "dist/backend/src/index.js"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f03512f..e50075e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -135,18 +135,24 @@ Images are built and pushed automatically by CI on every push to `main`.
 
 ### Environment variables
 
+See [`.env.example`](.env.example) for the full list and defaults.
+
 **web:**
 
 | Variable | Default | Description |
 |----------|---------|-------------|
-| `BACKEND_URL` | `http://backend:3001` | Backend API base URL (Docker internal networking) |
+| `BACKEND_URL` | _(required in prod)_ | Backend API base URL. Throws at startup if unset when `NODE_ENV=production`. |
+| `NEXT_PUBLIC_PLAUSIBLE_SRC` | — | Plausible script URL. Analytics only render when both this and the website ID are set. |
+| `NEXT_PUBLIC_PLAUSIBLE_WEBSITE_ID` | — | Plausible website ID. |
 
 **backend:**
 
 | Variable | Default | Description |
 |----------|---------|-------------|
-| `TZ` | `UTC` | Timezone for cron schedules (e.g. `America/New_York`) |
-| `PARK_HOURS_STALENESS_HOURS` | `72` | Hours before park schedule data is re-fetched |
+| `PORT` | `3001` | Port the Hono server listens on. |
+| `TZ` | `UTC` | Timezone for cron schedules (e.g. `America/New_York`). |
+| `PARK_HOURS_STALENESS_HOURS` | `72` | Hours before park schedule data is re-fetched. |
+| `RATE_LIMIT_PER_MIN` | `60` | Per-IP request limit for the public API, per minute. |
 
 ### Updating
 
diff --git a/app/error.tsx b/app/error.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c51f6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/error.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useEffect } from "react";
+
+export default function RootError({ error, reset }: { error: Error & { digest?: string }; reset: () => void }) {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    console.error(error);
+  }, [error]);
+
+  return (
+    <main style={{ minHeight: "100vh", display: "grid", placeItems: "center", padding: 24, background: "var(--color-bg)" }}>
+      <div style={{ maxWidth: 480, textAlign: "center" }}>
+        <h1 style={{ fontSize: "1.4rem", fontWeight: 700, color: "var(--color-text)", marginBottom: 12 }}>
+          Something went wrong
+        </h1>
+        <p style={{ color: "var(--color-text-muted)", lineHeight: 1.6, fontSize: "0.9rem", marginBottom: 20 }}>
+          An unexpected error broke this page. Try again in a moment.
+        </p>
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={reset}
+          style={{
+            padding: "8px 18px",
+            background: "var(--color-text)",
+            color: "var(--color-bg)",
+            border: "none",
+            borderRadius: 6,
+            fontSize: "0.85rem",
+            fontWeight: 600,
+            cursor: "pointer",
+          }}
+        >
+          Try again
+        </button>
+      </div>
+    </main>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/app/layout.tsx b/app/layout.tsx
index 123edec..472371c 100644
--- a/app/layout.tsx
+++ b/app/layout.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ import type { Metadata } from "next";
 import Script from "next/script";
 import "./globals.css";
 
+const PLAUSIBLE_SRC = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_PLAUSIBLE_SRC;
+const PLAUSIBLE_WEBSITE_ID = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_PLAUSIBLE_WEBSITE_ID;
+
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
   title: "Thoosie Calendar",
   description: "Theme park operating hours and live ride status at a glance",
@@ -12,11 +15,13 @@ export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode })
     <html lang="en">
       <body>
         {children}
-        <Script
-          src="https://tracking.thewrightserver.net/script.js"
-          data-website-id="a0d0582a-9bd0-4c0d-8e3c-3e6fcc99ec9a"
-          strategy="afterInteractive"
-        />
+        {PLAUSIBLE_SRC && PLAUSIBLE_WEBSITE_ID ? (
+          <Script
+            src={PLAUSIBLE_SRC}
+            data-website-id={PLAUSIBLE_WEBSITE_ID}
+            strategy="afterInteractive"
+          />
+        ) : null}
       </body>
     </html>
   );
diff --git a/app/not-found.tsx b/app/not-found.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d4df7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/not-found.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import Link from "next/link";
+
+export default function NotFound() {
+  return (
+    <main style={{ minHeight: "100vh", display: "grid", placeItems: "center", padding: 24, background: "var(--color-bg)" }}>
+      <div style={{ maxWidth: 480, textAlign: "center" }}>
+        <div style={{ fontSize: "2.5rem", fontWeight: 700, color: "var(--color-text)", marginBottom: 8 }}>404</div>
+        <h1 style={{ fontSize: "1.1rem", fontWeight: 600, color: "var(--color-text)", marginBottom: 12 }}>
+          Page not found
+        </h1>
+        <p style={{ color: "var(--color-text-muted)", lineHeight: 1.6, fontSize: "0.9rem", marginBottom: 20 }}>
+          We couldn&apos;t find what you were looking for.
+        </p>
+        <Link
+          href="/"
+          style={{
+            padding: "8px 18px",
+            background: "var(--color-text)",
+            color: "var(--color-bg)",
+            borderRadius: 6,
+            fontSize: "0.85rem",
+            fontWeight: 600,
+            textDecoration: "none",
+          }}
+        >
+          Back to the calendar
+        </Link>
+      </div>
+    </main>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/app/page.tsx b/app/page.tsx
index 423b82c..4bf2561 100644
--- a/app/page.tsx
+++ b/app/page.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
+import type { ComponentProps } from "react";
 import { cookies } from "next/headers";
 import { HomePageClient } from "@/components/HomePageClient";
 import { getTodayLocal, formatDateLocal } from "@/lib/env";
+import { apiFetch } from "@/lib/api";
 
-const BACKEND_URL = process.env.BACKEND_URL ?? "http://localhost:3001";
+type WeekData = ComponentProps<typeof HomePageClient>;
 
 const WEEK_COOKIE = "tcWeek";
 
@@ -24,10 +26,25 @@ export default async function HomePage() {
   const saved = (await cookies()).get(WEEK_COOKIE)?.value;
   const weekStart = getWeekStart(saved);
 
-  const data = await fetch(
-    `${BACKEND_URL}/api/calendar/week?start=${weekStart}`,
-    { next: { revalidate: 120 } },
-  ).then((r) => r.json());
+  const data = await apiFetch<WeekData>(
+    `/api/calendar/week?start=${weekStart}`,
+    { revalidate: 120 },
+  );
+
+  if (!data) {
+    return (
+      <main style={{ minHeight: "100vh", display: "grid", placeItems: "center", padding: 24, background: "var(--color-bg)" }}>
+        <div style={{ maxWidth: 480, textAlign: "center" }}>
+          <h1 style={{ fontSize: "1.2rem", fontWeight: 700, color: "var(--color-text)", marginBottom: 12 }}>
+            Calendar data is unavailable
+          </h1>
+          <p style={{ color: "var(--color-text-muted)", lineHeight: 1.6, fontSize: "0.9rem" }}>
+            We could not reach the backend. Refresh in a moment.
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      </main>
+    );
+  }
 
   return <HomePageClient {...data} />;
 }
diff --git a/app/park/[id]/error.tsx b/app/park/[id]/error.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9448ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/park/[id]/error.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useEffect } from "react";
+import Link from "next/link";
+
+export default function ParkError({ error, reset }: { error: Error & { digest?: string }; reset: () => void }) {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    console.error(error);
+  }, [error]);
+
+  return (
+    <main style={{ minHeight: "100vh", display: "grid", placeItems: "center", padding: 24, background: "var(--color-bg)" }}>
+      <div style={{ maxWidth: 480, textAlign: "center" }}>
+        <h1 style={{ fontSize: "1.2rem", fontWeight: 700, color: "var(--color-text)", marginBottom: 12 }}>
+          Could not load this park
+        </h1>
+        <p style={{ color: "var(--color-text-muted)", lineHeight: 1.6, fontSize: "0.9rem", marginBottom: 20 }}>
+          Try again in a moment, or head back to the calendar.
+        </p>
+        <div style={{ display: "flex", justifyContent: "center", gap: 10 }}>
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            onClick={reset}
+            style={{
+              padding: "8px 18px",
+              background: "var(--color-text)",
+              color: "var(--color-bg)",
+              border: "none",
+              borderRadius: 6,
+              fontSize: "0.85rem",
+              fontWeight: 600,
+              cursor: "pointer",
+            }}
+          >
+            Try again
+          </button>
+          <Link
+            href="/"
+            style={{
+              padding: "8px 18px",
+              background: "var(--color-surface)",
+              color: "var(--color-text)",
+              border: "1px solid var(--color-border)",
+              borderRadius: 6,
+              fontSize: "0.85rem",
+              fontWeight: 600,
+              textDecoration: "none",
+            }}
+          >
+            Back to calendar
+          </Link>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </main>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/app/park/[id]/loading.tsx b/app/park/[id]/loading.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..272997f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/park/[id]/loading.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+export default function ParkLoading() {
+  return (
+    <div style={{ minHeight: "100vh", background: "var(--color-bg)" }}>
+      <header style={{
+        position: "sticky",
+        top: 0,
+        zIndex: 20,
+        background: "var(--color-bg)",
+        borderBottom: "1px solid var(--color-border)",
+        padding: "12px 24px",
+        display: "flex",
+        alignItems: "center",
+        gap: 16,
+      }}>
+        <div className="skeleton" style={{ width: 120, height: 18, borderRadius: 4 }} />
+        <div style={{ width: 1, height: 16, background: "var(--color-border)" }} />
+        <div className="skeleton" style={{ width: 180, height: 16, borderRadius: 4 }} />
+      </header>
+
+      <main style={{ padding: "24px 32px", maxWidth: 1280, margin: "0 auto", display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", gap: 40 }}>
+        <section>
+          <div className="skeleton" style={{ width: "100%", height: 320, borderRadius: 8 }} />
+        </section>
+        <section>
+          <div className="skeleton" style={{ width: 180, height: 16, borderRadius: 4, marginBottom: 16 }} />
+          <div style={{ display: "grid", gridTemplateColumns: "repeat(auto-fill, minmax(280px, 1fr))", gap: 6 }}>
+            {Array.from({ length: 8 }).map((_, i) => (
+              <div key={i} className="skeleton" style={{ height: 36, borderRadius: 8 }} />
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        </section>
+      </main>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/app/park/[id]/page.tsx b/app/park/[id]/page.tsx
index fd558b3..84d11a6 100644
--- a/app/park/[id]/page.tsx
+++ b/app/park/[id]/page.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { Metadata } from "next";
 import { BackToCalendarLink } from "@/components/BackToCalendarLink";
 import { notFound } from "next/navigation";
 import { PARK_MAP } from "@/lib/parks";
@@ -6,14 +7,45 @@ import { LiveRidePanel } from "@/components/LiveRidePanel";
 import type { RideStatus, RidesFetchResult } from "@/lib/scrapers/sixflags";
 import type { LiveRidesResult } from "@/lib/scrapers/queuetimes";
 import { getTodayLocal } from "@/lib/env";
-
-const BACKEND_URL = process.env.BACKEND_URL ?? "http://localhost:3001";
+import { apiFetch } from "@/lib/api";
+import type { DayData } from "@/lib/types";
 
 interface PageProps {
   params: Promise<{ id: string }>;
   searchParams: Promise<{ month?: string }>;
 }
 
+interface CalendarMonthResponse {
+  parkId: string;
+  year: number;
+  month: number;
+  monthData: Record<string, DayData>;
+  today: string;
+}
+
+interface RidesResponse {
+  parkId: string;
+  today: string;
+  parkOpenToday: boolean;
+  withinWindow: boolean;
+  isWeatherDelay: boolean;
+  liveRides: LiveRidesResult | null;
+  scheduleFallback: RidesFetchResult | null;
+}
+
+export async function generateMetadata({ params }: PageProps): Promise<Metadata> {
+  const { id } = await params;
+  const park = PARK_MAP.get(id);
+  if (!park) return { title: "Park not found | Thoosie Calendar" };
+  const title = `${park.name} | Thoosie Calendar`;
+  const description = `Operating hours and live ride status for ${park.name} (${park.location.city}, ${park.location.state}).`;
+  return {
+    title,
+    description,
+    openGraph: { title, description },
+  };
+}
+
 function parseMonthParam(param: string | undefined): string {
   if (param && /^\d{4}-\d{2}$/.test(param)) {
     const [y, m] = param.split("-").map(Number);
@@ -35,26 +67,25 @@ export default async function ParkPage({ params, searchParams }: PageProps) {
   const [year, month] = monthStr.split("-").map(Number);
 
   const [calendarData, ridesData] = await Promise.all([
-    fetch(`${BACKEND_URL}/api/calendar/${id}/month?month=${monthStr}`, {
-      next: { revalidate: 300 },
-    }).then((r) => r.json()),
-    fetch(`${BACKEND_URL}/api/parks/${id}/rides`, {
-      next: { revalidate: 60 },
-    }).then((r) => r.json()),
+    apiFetch<CalendarMonthResponse>(
+      `/api/calendar/${id}/month?month=${monthStr}`,
+      { revalidate: 300 },
+    ),
+    apiFetch<RidesResponse>(
+      `/api/parks/${id}/rides`,
+      { revalidate: 60 },
+    ),
   ]);
 
+  if (!calendarData) {
+    return <DataUnavailable parkName={park.name} />;
+  }
+
   const { monthData, today } = calendarData;
-  const {
-    parkOpenToday,
-    isWeatherDelay,
-    liveRides,
-    scheduleFallback: ridesResult,
-  }: {
-    parkOpenToday: boolean;
-    isWeatherDelay: boolean;
-    liveRides: LiveRidesResult | null;
-    scheduleFallback: RidesFetchResult | null;
-  } = ridesData;
+  const parkOpenToday = ridesData?.parkOpenToday ?? false;
+  const isWeatherDelay = ridesData?.isWeatherDelay ?? false;
+  const liveRides = ridesData?.liveRides ?? null;
+  const ridesResult = ridesData?.scheduleFallback ?? null;
 
   return (
     <div style={{ minHeight: "100vh", background: "var(--color-bg)" }}>
@@ -355,3 +386,18 @@ function Callout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
     </div>
   );
 }
+
+function DataUnavailable({ parkName }: { parkName: string }) {
+  return (
+    <main style={{ minHeight: "100vh", display: "grid", placeItems: "center", padding: 24, background: "var(--color-bg)" }}>
+      <div style={{ maxWidth: 480, textAlign: "center" }}>
+        <h1 style={{ fontSize: "1.2rem", fontWeight: 700, color: "var(--color-text)", marginBottom: 12 }}>
+          {parkName} data is unavailable
+        </h1>
+        <p style={{ color: "var(--color-text-muted)", lineHeight: 1.6, fontSize: "0.9rem" }}>
+          We could not reach the backend. Refresh in a moment.
+        </p>
+      </div>
+    </main>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/error.tsx b/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/error.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3435a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/error.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useEffect } from "react";
+
+export default function RideError({ error, reset }: { error: Error & { digest?: string }; reset: () => void }) {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    console.error(error);
+  }, [error]);
+
+  return (
+    <main style={{ minHeight: "100vh", display: "grid", placeItems: "center", padding: 24, background: "var(--color-bg)" }}>
+      <div style={{ maxWidth: 480, textAlign: "center" }}>
+        <h1 style={{ fontSize: "1.2rem", fontWeight: 700, color: "var(--color-text)", marginBottom: 12 }}>
+          Could not load ride history
+        </h1>
+        <p style={{ color: "var(--color-text-muted)", lineHeight: 1.6, fontSize: "0.9rem", marginBottom: 20 }}>
+          The backend is unreachable. Try again in a moment.
+        </p>
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={reset}
+          style={{
+            padding: "8px 18px",
+            background: "var(--color-text)",
+            color: "var(--color-bg)",
+            border: "none",
+            borderRadius: 6,
+            fontSize: "0.85rem",
+            fontWeight: 600,
+            cursor: "pointer",
+          }}
+        >
+          Try again
+        </button>
+      </div>
+    </main>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/loading.tsx b/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/loading.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ebeb34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/loading.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+export default function RideLoading() {
+  return (
+    <div style={{ minHeight: "100vh", background: "var(--color-bg)", padding: "32px 24px" }}>
+      <div style={{ maxWidth: 960, margin: "0 auto" }}>
+        <div className="skeleton" style={{ width: 160, height: 14, borderRadius: 4, marginBottom: 16 }} />
+        <div className="skeleton" style={{ width: 320, height: 28, borderRadius: 6, marginBottom: 24 }} />
+        <div className="skeleton" style={{ width: 100, height: 24, borderRadius: 999, marginBottom: 24 }} />
+        <div style={{ display: "flex", gap: 8, marginBottom: 16 }}>
+          {Array.from({ length: 3 }).map((_, i) => (
+            <div key={i} className="skeleton" style={{ width: 80, height: 32, borderRadius: 6 }} />
+          ))}
+        </div>
+        <div className="skeleton" style={{ width: "100%", height: 280, borderRadius: 8 }} />
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/page.tsx b/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/page.tsx
index 775aa7f..ccb9b32 100644
--- a/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/page.tsx
+++ b/app/park/[id]/ride/[slug]/page.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
+import type { Metadata } from "next";
 import Link from "next/link";
 import { notFound } from "next/navigation";
 import { PARK_MAP } from "@/lib/parks";
 import UptimePill from "@/components/charts/UptimePill";
 import WaitTimeTodayChart from "@/components/charts/WaitTimeTodayChart";
 import WeeklyStatsChart from "@/components/charts/WeeklyStatsChart";
-
-const BACKEND_URL = process.env.BACKEND_URL ?? "http://localhost:3001";
+import { getBackendUrl } from "@/lib/api";
 
 type Tab = "today" | "7d" | "30d";
 
@@ -62,6 +62,20 @@ function parseTab(raw: string | undefined): Tab {
   return "today";
 }
 
+export async function generateMetadata({ params }: PageProps): Promise<Metadata> {
+  const { id, slug } = await params;
+  const park = PARK_MAP.get(id);
+  if (!park) return { title: "Ride not found | Thoosie Calendar" };
+  const rideName = decodeURIComponent(slug).replace(/-/g, " ");
+  const title = `${rideName} — ${park.shortName} | Thoosie Calendar`;
+  const description = `Live wait time and uptime history for ${rideName} at ${park.name}.`;
+  return {
+    title,
+    description,
+    openGraph: { title, description },
+  };
+}
+
 export default async function RideDetailPage({ params, searchParams }: PageProps) {
   const { id, slug } = await params;
   const { tab: tabParam } = await searchParams;
@@ -71,9 +85,14 @@ export default async function RideDetailPage({ params, searchParams }: PageProps
 
   const tab = parseTab(tabParam);
 
-  const res = await fetch(`${BACKEND_URL}/api/parks/${id}/rides/${slug}`, {
-    next: { revalidate: 60 },
-  });
+  let res: Response;
+  try {
+    res = await fetch(`${getBackendUrl()}/api/parks/${id}/rides/${slug}`, {
+      next: { revalidate: 60 },
+    });
+  } catch {
+    return <ErrorState parkId={id} parkName={park.name} />;
+  }
 
   if (res.status === 404) {
     return <NoHistoryYet parkId={id} parkName={park.name} slug={slug} />;
@@ -83,7 +102,12 @@ export default async function RideDetailPage({ params, searchParams }: PageProps
     return <ErrorState parkId={id} parkName={park.name} />;
   }
 
-  const data: ApiResponse = await res.json();
+  let data: ApiResponse;
+  try {
+    data = (await res.json()) as ApiResponse;
+  } catch {
+    return <ErrorState parkId={id} parkName={park.name} />;
+  }
   const { ride, live, today, last7d, last30d, coverage } = data;
 
   const last30dUptime = last30d.length
diff --git a/backend/package.json b/backend/package.json
index a7f39a2..3dca581 100644
--- a/backend/package.json
+++ b/backend/package.json
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "tsx watch src/index.ts",
     "build": "tsc",
-    "start": "node dist/index.js",
+    "start": "node dist/backend/src/index.js",
     "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",
     "test": "tsx --test tests/*.test.ts"
   },
diff --git a/backend/src/config.ts b/backend/src/config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d2a173
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/**
+ * Centralized env parsing — validate at startup, fail fast on bad config.
+ * Other modules read from the frozen `config` object instead of process.env
+ * so misconfiguration shows up here, not deep in a request handler.
+ */
+
+import { parseStalenessHours } from "../../lib/env";
+
+function parsePort(raw: string | undefined, fallback: number): number {
+  if (!raw) return fallback;
+  const n = parseInt(raw, 10);
+  if (!Number.isFinite(n) || n < 1 || n > 65535) {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid PORT=${raw}: must be an integer in 1..65535`);
+  }
+  return n;
+}
+
+export const config = Object.freeze({
+  port: parsePort(process.env.PORT, 3001),
+  parkHoursStalenessHours: parseStalenessHours(process.env.PARK_HOURS_STALENESS_HOURS, 72),
+  nodeEnv: process.env.NODE_ENV ?? "development",
+  rateLimitPerMin: parsePort(process.env.RATE_LIMIT_PER_MIN, 60),
+});
+
+export type Config = typeof config;
diff --git a/backend/src/index.ts b/backend/src/index.ts
index 2bdfa44..9887a98 100644
--- a/backend/src/index.ts
+++ b/backend/src/index.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 import { Hono } from "hono";
 import { serve } from "@hono/node-server";
 import { cors } from "hono/cors";
-import { logger } from "hono/logger";
 
-import { getDb } from "./db/index";
+import { config } from "./config";
+import { log } from "./log";
+import { getDb, closeDb } from "./db/index";
 import { startScheduler } from "./services/scheduler";
+import { rateLimit } from "./middleware/rate-limit";
 
 import calendarRoutes from "./routes/calendar";
 import parksRoutes from "./routes/parks";
@@ -13,12 +15,18 @@ import rideHistoryRoutes from "./routes/ride-history";
 import statusRoutes from "./routes/status";
 import scrapeRoutes from "./routes/scrape";
 
-const PORT = parseInt(process.env.PORT ?? "3001", 10);
-
 const app = new Hono();
 
-app.use("*", logger());
+app.use("*", async (c, next) => {
+  const start = Date.now();
+  await next();
+  log.info("http", `${c.req.method} ${c.req.path}`, {
+    status: c.res.status,
+    ms: Date.now() - start,
+  });
+});
 app.use("*", cors());
+app.use("*", rateLimit(config.rateLimitPerMin));
 
 app.route("/api/calendar", calendarRoutes);
 app.route("/api/parks", parksRoutes);
@@ -27,14 +35,52 @@ app.route("/api/parks", rideHistoryRoutes);
 app.route("/api/status", statusRoutes);
 app.route("/api/scrape", scrapeRoutes);
 
-// Initialize database on startup
-getDb();
-console.log("[backend] database initialized");
+log.info("startup", "config loaded", {
+  port: config.port,
+  nodeEnv: config.nodeEnv,
+  parkHoursStalenessHours: config.parkHoursStalenessHours,
+  rateLimitPerMin: config.rateLimitPerMin,
+});
+
+getDb();
+log.info("startup", "database initialized");
 
-// Start cron scheduler
 startScheduler();
 
-// Start HTTP server
-serve({ fetch: app.fetch, port: PORT }, (info) => {
-  console.log(`[backend] listening on http://localhost:${info.port}`);
+const server = serve({ fetch: app.fetch, port: config.port }, (info) => {
+  log.info("startup", "listening", { url: `http://localhost:${info.port}` });
+});
+
+let shuttingDown = false;
+function shutdown(signal: string): void {
+  if (shuttingDown) return;
+  shuttingDown = true;
+  log.info("shutdown", "signal received", { signal });
+
+  const forceExit = setTimeout(() => {
+    log.error("shutdown", "force-exiting after 5s grace period");
+    process.exit(1);
+  }, 5000);
+  forceExit.unref();
+
+  server.close((err) => {
+    if (err) log.error("shutdown", "http server close error", { err: err.message });
+    else log.info("shutdown", "http server closed");
+    try {
+      closeDb();
+      log.info("shutdown", "database closed");
+    } catch (err) {
+      log.error("shutdown", "database close error", { err: (err as Error).message });
+    }
+    process.exit(0);
+  });
+}
+
+process.on("SIGTERM", () => shutdown("SIGTERM"));
+process.on("SIGINT", () => shutdown("SIGINT"));
+process.on("unhandledRejection", (reason) => {
+  log.error("process", "unhandledRejection", { reason: String(reason) });
+});
+process.on("uncaughtException", (err) => {
+  log.error("process", "uncaughtException", { err: err.message, stack: err.stack });
 });
diff --git a/backend/src/log.ts b/backend/src/log.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fbcf75d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/log.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/**
+ * Tiny structured logger. Emits `[ISO] [LEVEL] [tag] msg key=value...` so logs
+ * are searchable and grep-friendly without dragging in pino/winston.
+ */
+
+type Meta = Record<string, unknown>;
+type Level = "INFO" | "WARN" | "ERROR";
+
+function formatMeta(meta?: Meta): string {
+  if (!meta) return "";
+  const parts: string[] = [];
+  for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(meta)) {
+    if (v === undefined) continue;
+    const s = typeof v === "string" ? v : JSON.stringify(v);
+    parts.push(`${k}=${s}`);
+  }
+  return parts.length ? " " + parts.join(" ") : "";
+}
+
+function emit(level: Level, tag: string, msg: string, meta?: Meta): void {
+  const line = `${new Date().toISOString()} [${level}] [${tag}] ${msg}${formatMeta(meta)}`;
+  if (level === "ERROR") console.error(line);
+  else console.log(line);
+}
+
+export const log = {
+  info:  (tag: string, msg: string, meta?: Meta) => emit("INFO",  tag, msg, meta),
+  warn:  (tag: string, msg: string, meta?: Meta) => emit("WARN",  tag, msg, meta),
+  error: (tag: string, msg: string, meta?: Meta) => emit("ERROR", tag, msg, meta),
+};
diff --git a/backend/src/middleware/rate-limit.ts b/backend/src/middleware/rate-limit.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b7b130d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/middleware/rate-limit.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/**
+ * Simple IP-based rate limiter. Fixed-window counter in a Map, swept on
+ * each request — no external dependency, sufficient for a single-instance
+ * public site. Keys honour x-forwarded-for so a reverse proxy doesn't
+ * collapse every client to one bucket.
+ */
+
+import type { MiddlewareHandler } from "hono";
+import { log } from "../log";
+
+interface Bucket {
+  count: number;
+  resetAt: number;
+}
+
+const WINDOW_MS = 60_000;
+
+function clientIp(c: Parameters<MiddlewareHandler>[0]): string {
+  const fwd = c.req.header("x-forwarded-for");
+  if (fwd) return fwd.split(",")[0].trim();
+  const real = c.req.header("x-real-ip");
+  if (real) return real.trim();
+  // @hono/node-server attaches the raw connection on c.env.incoming
+  const incoming = (c.env as { incoming?: { socket?: { remoteAddress?: string } } } | undefined)?.incoming;
+  return incoming?.socket?.remoteAddress ?? "unknown";
+}
+
+export function rateLimit(limitPerMin: number): MiddlewareHandler {
+  const buckets = new Map<string, Bucket>();
+
+  return async (c, next) => {
+    const now = Date.now();
+    const ip = clientIp(c);
+    let bucket = buckets.get(ip);
+
+    if (!bucket || bucket.resetAt <= now) {
+      bucket = { count: 0, resetAt: now + WINDOW_MS };
+      buckets.set(ip, bucket);
+    }
+
+    bucket.count++;
+
+    if (bucket.count > limitPerMin) {
+      const retryAfter = Math.max(1, Math.ceil((bucket.resetAt - now) / 1000));
+      log.warn("rate-limit", "blocked", { ip, count: bucket.count, retryAfter });
+      c.header("Retry-After", String(retryAfter));
+      return c.json({ error: "Too many requests" }, 429);
+    }
+
+    // Opportunistic cleanup so the Map doesn't grow unbounded.
+    if (buckets.size > 10_000) {
+      for (const [k, v] of buckets) {
+        if (v.resetAt <= now) buckets.delete(k);
+      }
+    }
+
+    await next();
+  };
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/calendar.ts b/backend/src/routes/calendar.ts
index 591c64f..1484e36 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/calendar.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/calendar.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,14 @@ import { fetchToday } from "../../../lib/scrapers/sixflags";
 import { fetchLiveRides } from "../../../lib/scrapers/queuetimes";
 import { getDateRange, getParkMonthData, type DayData } from "../db/queries";
 import { TtlCache } from "../services/cache";
+import { log } from "../log";
 
-const todayCache = new TtlCache<{ date: string; isOpen: boolean; hoursLabel?: string; specialType?: string } | null>(5 * 60 * 1000);
+type TodayCacheValue = { date: string; isOpen: boolean; hoursLabel?: string; specialType?: string } | null;
+const todayCache = new TtlCache<TodayCacheValue>(5 * 60 * 1000);
+// Tracks parks we've already attempted this TTL window so a null cache hit
+// doesn't re-fetch on every request. Same TTL as todayCache so they expire
+// together.
+const todayChecked = new TtlCache<true>(5 * 60 * 1000);
 const ridesCache = new TtlCache<{ openRides: number; openCoasters: number } | null>(5 * 60 * 1000);
 
 const app = new Hono();
@@ -34,10 +40,13 @@ app.get("/week", async (c) => {
     await Promise.all(
       PARKS.map(async (p) => {
         let live = todayCache.get(p.id);
-        if (live === null && !todayCache.get(p.id + "_checked")) {
-          live = await fetchToday(p.apiId).catch(() => null);
+        if (live === null && todayChecked.get(p.id) === null) {
+          live = await fetchToday(p.apiId).catch((err: Error) => {
+            log.warn("calendar.week", "fetchToday failed", { park: p.id, err: err.message });
+            return null;
+          });
           todayCache.set(p.id, live);
-          todayCache.set(p.id + "_checked", true as any);
+          todayChecked.set(p.id, true);
         }
         if (!live) return;
         if (!data[p.id]) data[p.id] = {};
@@ -84,7 +93,10 @@ app.get("/week", async (c) => {
         let cached = ridesCache.get(p.id);
         if (cached === null) {
           const coasterSet = getCoasterSet(p.id);
-          const result = await fetchLiveRides(QUEUE_TIMES_IDS[p.id], coasterSet).catch(() => null);
+          const result = await fetchLiveRides(QUEUE_TIMES_IDS[p.id], coasterSet).catch((err: Error) => {
+            log.warn("calendar.week", "fetchLiveRides failed", { park: p.id, err: err.message });
+            return null;
+          });
           cached = result
             ? {
                 openRides: result.rides.filter((r) => r.isOpen).length,
@@ -143,7 +155,10 @@ app.get("/:parkId/month", async (c) => {
   // Merge live today if viewing current month
   const park = PARKS.find((p) => p.id === parkId);
   if (park) {
-    const liveToday = await fetchToday(park.apiId).catch(() => null);
+    const liveToday = await fetchToday(park.apiId).catch((err: Error) => {
+      log.warn("calendar.month", "fetchToday failed", { park: park.id, err: err.message });
+      return null;
+    });
     if (liveToday) {
       monthData[today] = {
         isOpen: liveToday.isOpen,
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/rides.ts b/backend/src/routes/rides.ts
index 47856b8..43fbdbb 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/rides.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/rides.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { getDayData } from "../db/queries";
 import { liveRidesCache, fastLaneCache } from "../services/live-cache";
 import { slugifyRideName } from "../../../lib/ride-slug";
 import type { LiveRidesResult } from "../../../lib/scrapers/queuetimes";
+import { log } from "../log";
 
 const app = new Hono();
 
@@ -31,7 +32,10 @@ app.get("/:id/rides", async (c) => {
     liveRides = liveRidesCache.get(id);
     if (liveRides === null) {
       const coasterSet = getCoasterSet(id);
-      liveRides = await fetchLiveRides(queueTimesId, coasterSet).catch(() => null);
+      liveRides = await fetchLiveRides(queueTimesId, coasterSet).catch((err: Error) => {
+        log.warn("rides", "fetchLiveRides failed", { park: id, err: err.message });
+        return null;
+      });
       if (liveRides) liveRidesCache.set(id, liveRides);
     }
 
@@ -46,7 +50,10 @@ app.get("/:id/rides", async (c) => {
     if (liveRides) {
       let fastLane = fastLaneCache.get(id);
       if (fastLane === null) {
-        fastLane = await fetchFastLaneWaits(park.apiId).catch(() => null);
+        fastLane = await fetchFastLaneWaits(park.apiId).catch((err: Error) => {
+          log.warn("rides", "fetchFastLaneWaits failed", { park: id, err: err.message });
+          return null;
+        });
         if (fastLane) fastLaneCache.set(id, fastLane);
       }
       if (fastLane) {
@@ -81,7 +88,10 @@ app.get("/:id/rides", async (c) => {
 
   let scheduleFallback = null;
   if (!liveRides) {
-    scheduleFallback = await scrapeRidesForDay(park.apiId, today).catch(() => null);
+    scheduleFallback = await scrapeRidesForDay(park.apiId, today).catch((err: Error) => {
+      log.warn("rides", "scrapeRidesForDay failed", { park: id, err: err.message });
+      return null;
+    });
   }
 
   c.header("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=60, stale-while-revalidate=120");
diff --git a/backend/src/services/scheduler.ts b/backend/src/services/scheduler.ts
index afcfc8d..4cbd889 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/scheduler.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/scheduler.ts
@@ -2,68 +2,100 @@ import cron from "node-cron";
 import { scrapeToday, scrapeCurrentMonth, scrapeUpcomingMonths, scrapeFullYear } from "./scraper";
 import { sampleAllOpenParks } from "./wait-sampler";
 import { getParkDayCount } from "../db/queries";
+import { log } from "../log";
 
 let initialized = false;
 
+/**
+ * Wrap a cron handler so a still-running prior tick is skipped instead of
+ * racing it. Each tier gets its own latch — better-sqlite3's per-statement
+ * locking handles row-level safety, but skipping overlap avoids redundant
+ * upstream API calls and the resulting rate-limit risk.
+ */
+function withLatch(tag: string, fn: () => Promise<void>): () => Promise<void> {
+  let running = false;
+  return async () => {
+    if (running) {
+      log.warn(tag, "previous run still in progress, skipping tick");
+      return;
+    }
+    running = true;
+    try {
+      await fn();
+    } catch (err) {
+      log.error(tag, "tick failed", { err: (err as Error).message });
+    } finally {
+      running = false;
+    }
+  };
+}
+
 export function startScheduler(): void {
   if (initialized) return;
   initialized = true;
 
-  // Tier 1: Today — every hour during operating season (Mar-Dec)
-  cron.schedule("0 * * 3-12 *", async () => {
-    console.log(`[scheduler] tier-1: scraping today @ ${new Date().toISOString()}`);
-    await scrapeToday().catch((err) => console.error("[scheduler] tier-1 error:", err));
-  });
+  cron.schedule(
+    "0 * * 3-12 *",
+    withLatch("scheduler.tier1", async () => {
+      log.info("scheduler.tier1", "scraping today");
+      await scrapeToday();
+    }),
+  );
 
-  // Tier 2: This week — every 6 hours, current month for all parks
-  cron.schedule("0 */6 * * *", async () => {
-    console.log(`[scheduler] tier-2: scraping current month @ ${new Date().toISOString()}`);
-    await scrapeCurrentMonth().catch((err) => console.error("[scheduler] tier-2 error:", err));
-  });
+  cron.schedule(
+    "0 */6 * * *",
+    withLatch("scheduler.tier2", async () => {
+      log.info("scheduler.tier2", "scraping current month");
+      await scrapeCurrentMonth();
+    }),
+  );
 
-  // Tier 3: Upcoming — twice daily (3 AM, 3 PM), current + next month
-  cron.schedule("0 3,15 * * *", async () => {
-    console.log(`[scheduler] tier-3: scraping upcoming months @ ${new Date().toISOString()}`);
-    await scrapeUpcomingMonths().catch((err) => console.error("[scheduler] tier-3 error:", err));
-  });
+  cron.schedule(
+    "0 3,15 * * *",
+    withLatch("scheduler.tier3", async () => {
+      log.info("scheduler.tier3", "scraping upcoming months");
+      await scrapeUpcomingMonths();
+    }),
+  );
 
-  // Tier 4: Full season — once daily at 3 AM
-  cron.schedule("0 3 * * *", async () => {
-    console.log(`[scheduler] tier-4: scraping full year @ ${new Date().toISOString()}`);
-    await scrapeFullYear().catch((err) => console.error("[scheduler] tier-4 error:", err));
-  });
+  cron.schedule(
+    "0 3 * * *",
+    withLatch("scheduler.tier4", async () => {
+      log.info("scheduler.tier4", "scraping full year");
+      await scrapeFullYear();
+    }),
+  );
 
-  // Tier 5: Wait-time samples — every 5 minutes for parks open today
-  cron.schedule("*/5 * * * *", async () => {
-    try {
+  cron.schedule(
+    "*/5 * * * *",
+    withLatch("scheduler.tier5", async () => {
       const r = await sampleAllOpenParks();
-      console.log(
-        `[scheduler] tier-5: sampled ${r.parksSampled} parks, ${r.samplesWritten} samples, ` +
-          `${r.weatherDelayed} weather-delayed, ${r.errors} errors`,
-      );
-    } catch (err) {
-      console.error("[scheduler] tier-5 error:", err);
-    }
-  });
+      log.info("scheduler.tier5", "sample run complete", {
+        parksSampled: r.parksSampled,
+        samplesWritten: r.samplesWritten,
+        weatherDelayed: r.weatherDelayed,
+        errors: r.errors,
+      });
+    }),
+  );
 
-  console.log("[scheduler] cron jobs registered");
-  console.log("  tier-1: today        — hourly (Mar-Dec)");
-  console.log("  tier-2: current month — every 6h");
-  console.log("  tier-3: upcoming     — 3 AM + 3 PM");
-  console.log("  tier-4: full year    — 3 AM daily");
-  console.log("  tier-5: wait samples — every 5 min");
+  log.info("scheduler", "cron jobs registered", {
+    tiers: "tier1=hourly(Mar-Dec) tier2=6h tier3=3am+3pm tier4=3am-daily tier5=5min",
+  });
 
   const existingRows = getParkDayCount();
   if (existingRows < 50) {
-    console.log(`[scheduler] DB has ${existingRows} rows — running startup scrape`);
+    log.info("scheduler", "running startup scrape", { existingRows });
     scrapeToday()
       .then((r) => {
-        console.log(`[scheduler] startup today: ${r.fetched} fetched, ${r.updated} updated, ${r.errors} errors`);
+        log.info("scheduler.startup", "today done", { fetched: r.fetched, updated: r.updated, errors: r.errors });
         return scrapeFullYear();
       })
-      .then((r) => console.log(`[scheduler] startup full-year: ${r.fetched} fetched, ${r.skipped} skipped, ${r.errors} errors`))
-      .catch((err) => console.error("[scheduler] startup scrape error:", err));
+      .then((r) => {
+        log.info("scheduler.startup", "full-year done", { fetched: r.fetched, skipped: r.skipped, errors: r.errors });
+      })
+      .catch((err) => log.error("scheduler.startup", "scrape failed", { err: (err as Error).message }));
   } else {
-    console.log(`[scheduler] DB has ${existingRows} rows — skipping startup scrape, relying on cron`);
+    log.info("scheduler", "skipping startup scrape — relying on cron", { existingRows });
   }
 }
diff --git a/backend/src/services/scraper.ts b/backend/src/services/scraper.ts
index 62b2d67..96cdc4e 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/scraper.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/scraper.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 import { PARKS } from "../../../lib/parks";
 import { scrapeMonth, fetchToday, RateLimitError } from "../../../lib/scrapers/sixflags";
 import { upsertDay, isMonthScraped, getDayData, transact } from "../db/queries";
-import { parseStalenessHours } from "../../../lib/env";
+import { config } from "../config";
+import { log } from "../log";
 
 const DELAY_MS = 1000;
-const STALE_AFTER_MS = parseStalenessHours(process.env.PARK_HOURS_STALENESS_HOURS, 72) * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+const STALE_AFTER_MS = config.parkHoursStalenessHours * 60 * 60 * 1000;
 
 function sleep(ms: number) {
   return new Promise<void>((r) => setTimeout(r, ms));
@@ -54,9 +55,17 @@ export async function scrapeToday(): Promise<ScrapeResult> {
 
       upsertDay(park.id, live.date, live.isOpen, live.hoursLabel, live.specialType);
       updated++;
-      console.log(`[today] ${park.shortName}: updated (${live.isOpen ? "open" : "closed"}${live.hoursLabel ? " " + live.hoursLabel : ""})`);
-    } catch {
+      log.info("scrape.today", "updated", {
+        park: park.shortName,
+        isOpen: live.isOpen,
+        hours: live.hoursLabel ?? null,
+      });
+    } catch (err) {
       errors++;
+      log.warn("scrape.today", "park failed", {
+        park: park.shortName,
+        err: (err as Error).message,
+      });
     }
     await sleep(500);
   }
@@ -71,7 +80,7 @@ export async function scrapeToday(): Promise<ScrapeResult> {
     finishedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
   };
   lastScrapeResult = result;
-  console.log(`[today] done: ${fetched} fetched, ${updated} updated, ${skipped} skipped, ${errors} errors`);
+  log.info("scrape.today", "done", { fetched, updated, skipped, errors });
   return result;
 }
 
@@ -96,14 +105,22 @@ export async function scrapeMonths(monthList: { year: number; month: number }[],
           }
         });
         fetched++;
-        console.log(`[month] ${park.shortName} ${year}-${String(month).padStart(2, "0")}: ${days.filter((d) => d.isOpen).length} open days`);
+        log.info("scrape.month", "scraped", {
+          park: park.shortName,
+          month: `${year}-${String(month).padStart(2, "0")}`,
+          openDays: days.filter((d) => d.isOpen).length,
+        });
       } catch (err) {
-        if (err instanceof RateLimitError) {
-          console.log(`[month] ${park.shortName}: rate limited`);
-        } else {
-          console.error(`[month] ${park.shortName}: error — ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : err}`);
-        }
         errors++;
+        if (err instanceof RateLimitError) {
+          log.warn("scrape.month", "rate limited", { park: park.shortName });
+        } else {
+          log.error("scrape.month", "failed", {
+            park: park.shortName,
+            month: `${year}-${String(month).padStart(2, "0")}`,
+            err: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
+          });
+        }
       }
       await sleep(DELAY_MS);
     }
@@ -119,7 +136,7 @@ export async function scrapeMonths(monthList: { year: number; month: number }[],
     finishedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
   };
   lastScrapeResult = result;
-  console.log(`[month] done: ${fetched} fetched, ${skipped} skipped, ${errors} errors`);
+  log.info("scrape.month", "done", { fetched, skipped, errors });
   return result;
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/src/services/wait-sampler.ts b/backend/src/services/wait-sampler.ts
index 858cf0b..0f6890e 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/wait-sampler.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/wait-sampler.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import { formatLocalDate, formatLocalTime } from "../../../lib/timezone";
 import { isWithinOperatingWindow } from "../../../lib/env";
 import { liveRidesCache, fastLaneCache } from "./live-cache";
 import { getDayData, upsertRide, insertSample, transact } from "../db/queries";
+import { log } from "../log";
 
 const PARALLEL_CHUNK = 6;
 
@@ -54,7 +55,10 @@ async function samplePark(park: Park, now: Date): Promise<{
     let liveRides = liveRidesCache.get(park.id);
     if (liveRides === null) {
       const coasterSet = getCoasterSet(park.id);
-      liveRides = await fetchLiveRides(queueTimesId, coasterSet).catch(() => null);
+      liveRides = await fetchLiveRides(queueTimesId, coasterSet).catch((err: Error) => {
+        log.warn("wait-sampler", "fetchLiveRides failed", { park: park.id, err: err.message });
+        return null;
+      });
       if (liveRides) liveRidesCache.set(park.id, liveRides);
     }
     if (!liveRides || liveRides.rides.length === 0) {
@@ -70,7 +74,10 @@ async function samplePark(park: Park, now: Date): Promise<{
     // Fast Lane — reuse cache; fetch on miss.
     let fastLane = fastLaneCache.get(park.id);
     if (fastLane === null) {
-      fastLane = await fetchFastLaneWaits(park.apiId).catch(() => null);
+      fastLane = await fetchFastLaneWaits(park.apiId).catch((err: Error) => {
+        log.warn("wait-sampler", "fetchFastLaneWaits failed", { park: park.id, err: err.message });
+        return null;
+      });
       if (fastLane) fastLaneCache.set(park.id, fastLane);
     }
 
@@ -117,7 +124,10 @@ async function samplePark(park: Park, now: Date): Promise<{
 
     return { ridesUpserted, samplesWritten, weatherDelayed: false, error: false };
   } catch (err) {
-    console.error(`[wait-sampler] error sampling ${park.id}:`, err);
+    log.error("wait-sampler", "sampling failed", {
+      park: park.id,
+      err: (err as Error).message,
+    });
     return { ridesUpserted: 0, samplesWritten: 0, weatherDelayed: false, error: true };
   }
 }
diff --git a/backend/tsconfig.json b/backend/tsconfig.json
index 55e821d..76d681e 100644
--- a/backend/tsconfig.json
+++ b/backend/tsconfig.json
@@ -17,5 +17,5 @@
     "sourceMap": true
   },
   "include": ["src/**/*.ts", "../lib/**/*.ts"],
-  "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"]
+  "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist", "../lib/api.ts"]
 }
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index aa5cb3b..2b91434 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -8,6 +8,21 @@ services:
       - BACKEND_URL=http://backend:3001
       - TZ=America/New_York
     restart: unless-stopped
+    mem_limit: 512m
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "wget", "--spider", "-q", "http://localhost:3000"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 20s
+    logging:
+      driver: json-file
+      options:
+        max-size: "10m"
+        max-file: "3"
+    depends_on:
+      backend:
+        condition: service_healthy
 
   backend:
     image: gitea.thewrightserver.net/josh/thoosiecalendar:backend
@@ -20,6 +35,18 @@ services:
       - TZ=America/New_York
       - PARK_HOURS_STALENESS_HOURS=72
     restart: unless-stopped
+    mem_limit: 512m
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "wget", "--spider", "-q", "http://localhost:3001/api/status"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 30s
+    logging:
+      driver: json-file
+      options:
+        max-size: "10m"
+        max-file: "3"
 
 volumes:
   park_data:
diff --git a/docs/wait-times-urls.txt b/docs/wait-times-urls.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..de91b3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/wait-times-urls.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+Six Flags / Cedar Fair live wait-times endpoints
+Pattern: https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/{apiId}
+
+# Six Flags branded parks
+Six Flags Great Adventure        https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/905
+Six Flags Magic Mountain         https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/906
+Six Flags Great America          https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/910
+Six Flags Over Georgia           https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/902
+Six Flags Over Texas             https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/901
+Six Flags St. Louis              https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/903
+Six Flags Fiesta Texas           https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/914
+Six Flags New England            https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/935
+Six Flags Discovery Kingdom      https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/936
+Six Flags Mexico                 https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/960
+Six Flags Great Escape           https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/924
+Six Flags Darien Lake            https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/945
+
+# Former Cedar Fair theme parks
+Cedar Point                      https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/1
+Knott's Berry Farm               https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/4
+Canada's Wonderland              https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/40
+Carowinds                        https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/30
+Kings Dominion                   https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/25
+Kings Island                     https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/20
+Valleyfair                       https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/14
+Worlds of Fun                    https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/6
+Michigan's Adventure             https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/12
+Dorney Park                      https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/8
+California's Great America        https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/35
+Frontier City                    https://d18car1k0ff81h.cloudfront.net/wait-times/park/943
diff --git a/lib/api.ts b/lib/api.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..488c20b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/api.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/**
+ * Single source of truth for the backend URL used by Next.js server
+ * components. Defaults to localhost in development; throws at *request time*
+ * in production if BACKEND_URL isn't set so a misdeployed container fails
+ * with a clear message instead of silently pointing at localhost. The check
+ * is lazy so Next.js build-time page-data collection doesn't trip it.
+ */
+
+let warned = false;
+
+export function getBackendUrl(): string {
+  const explicit = process.env.BACKEND_URL;
+  if (explicit) return explicit;
+  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production") {
+    throw new Error(
+      "BACKEND_URL env var is required in production. " +
+      "Set it to the backend service URL (e.g. http://backend:3001).",
+    );
+  }
+  if (!warned) {
+    warned = true;
+    console.warn("[lib/api] BACKEND_URL unset — defaulting to http://localhost:3001 (dev only)");
+  }
+  return "http://localhost:3001";
+}
+
+/**
+ * Fetch JSON from the backend with a default revalidate window. Returns
+ * `null` on network failure or non-2xx status — callers handle the null
+ * to render a graceful fallback instead of crashing the server render.
+ */
+export async function apiFetch<T>(
+  path: string,
+  options: { revalidate?: number } = {},
+): Promise<T | null> {
+  const { revalidate = 60 } = options;
+  try {
+    const res = await fetch(`${getBackendUrl()}${path}`, {
+      next: { revalidate },
+    });
+    if (!res.ok) return null;
+    return (await res.json()) as T;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index cbc916f..2717612 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
     "build": "next build",
     "start": "next start",
     "lint": "next lint",
+    "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",
     "debug": "tsx scripts/debug.ts",
     "test": "tsx --test tests/*.test.ts"
   },