Added the `env_file` directive to both `docker-compose.yml` and `docker-compose.dev.yml` to load environment variables from a `.env` file. This ensures consistent environment variable management across different configurations.
Moved environment variables to .env.template for better management and updated docker-compose files to use them. Added separate docker-compose.dev.yml for development, a Makefile for streamlined commands, and split backend Dockerfile into development and production stages. Updated .gitignore to include new changes.