diff --git a/backend/server.mjs b/backend/server.mjs
index d57a157..b8e46a9 100644
--- a/backend/server.mjs
+++ b/backend/server.mjs
@@ -4,7 +4,11 @@ import { Pool } from 'pg'
 import { contactAutoReplyEmail, contactNotificationEmail, newsletterConfirmationEmail } from './email-templates.mjs'
 import { sendEmail as sendResendEmail } from './resend-email.mjs'
 
-const databaseUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL
+// Coolify injects application variables into each Compose service before
+// Docker performs nested interpolation. Prefer the dedicated role explicitly
+// so a retained legacy DATABASE_URL can remain available for rollback without
+// silently widening the API's database privileges.
+const databaseUrl = process.env.API_DATABASE_URL || process.env.DATABASE_URL
 const isProduction = process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production'
 const allowedOrigins = String(process.env.ALLOWED_ORIGINS || process.env.ALLOWED_ORIGIN || '')
   .split(',')
@@ -37,7 +41,7 @@ const adminPostgrestUrl = process.env.ADMIN_POSTGREST_URL?.trim().replace(/\/$/,
 const adminPostgrestApiKey = process.env.ADMIN_POSTGREST_API_KEY?.trim()
 const publicSiteUrl = (process.env.PUBLIC_SITE_URL?.trim() || allowedOrigins[0] || '').replace(/\/$/, '')
 const publicEmailSiteUrl = (process.env.PUBLIC_EMAIL_SITE_URL?.trim() || 'https://vezvision.com').replace(/\/$/, '')
-if (!databaseUrl || allowedOrigins.length === 0) throw new Error('DATABASE_URL and ALLOWED_ORIGIN/ALLOWED_ORIGINS are required')
+if (!databaseUrl || allowedOrigins.length === 0) throw new Error('API_DATABASE_URL/DATABASE_URL and ALLOWED_ORIGIN/ALLOWED_ORIGINS are required')
 if (isProduction && (!turnstileSecret || turnstileExpectedHostnames.length === 0)) {
   throw new Error('TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY and TURNSTILE_EXPECTED_HOSTNAMES are required in production')
 }
diff --git a/coolify-compose.yml b/coolify-compose.yml
index 0b4c1bc..7a146f1 100644
--- a/coolify-compose.yml
+++ b/coolify-compose.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ services:
     networks:
       vezvision_internal:
         aliases: [vezvision-api]
+      # The Coolify-managed PostgreSQL service is discoverable only on this
+      # network. The API still has no published port or Traefik labels.
+      coolify: {}
     security_opt: ["no-new-privileges:true"]
     cap_drop: [ALL]
     read_only: true
@@ -54,17 +57,11 @@ services:
     networks:
       vezvision_internal:
         aliases: [vezvision-postgrest]
+      coolify: {}
     security_opt: ["no-new-privileges:true"]
     cap_drop: [ALL]
     read_only: true
     tmpfs: [/tmp]
-    healthcheck:
-      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "wget -qO- http://127.0.0.1:3001/ >/dev/null || exit 1"]
-      interval: 10s
-      timeout: 3s
-      retries: 5
-      start_period: 10s
-
   gateway:
     build:
       context: .
@@ -74,7 +71,9 @@ services:
       api:
         condition: service_healthy
       postgrest:
-        condition: service_healthy
+        # The pinned PostgREST image is distroless and has no shell/wget for a
+        # Compose health command. PostgREST itself retries database startup.
+        condition: service_started
     expose: ["8080"]
     labels:
       - traefik.docker.network=coolify
diff --git a/deploy/hetzner/docker-compose.yml b/deploy/hetzner/docker-compose.yml
index 5008cd9..2ac69c5 100644
--- a/deploy/hetzner/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/deploy/hetzner/docker-compose.yml
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ services:
       ADMIN_POSTGREST_URL: ${ADMIN_POSTGREST_URL:-}
       ADMIN_POSTGREST_API_KEY: ${ADMIN_POSTGREST_API_KEY:-}
       PORT: 3000
-    networks: [vezvision_internal]
+    # Coolify's managed PostgreSQL DNS name is available only on `coolify`.
+    # No port or reverse-proxy label is published for this service.
+    networks: [vezvision_internal, coolify]
     security_opt: ["no-new-privileges:true"]
     cap_drop: [ALL]
     read_only: true
@@ -35,18 +37,11 @@ services:
       PGRST_DB_ANON_ROLE: anon
       PGRST_SERVER_HOST: 0.0.0.0
       PGRST_SERVER_PORT: 3001
-    networks: [vezvision_internal]
+    networks: [vezvision_internal, coolify]
     security_opt: ["no-new-privileges:true"]
     cap_drop: [ALL]
     read_only: true
     tmpfs: [/tmp]
-    healthcheck:
-      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "wget -qO- http://127.0.0.1:3001/ >/dev/null || exit 1"]
-      interval: 10s
-      timeout: 3s
-      retries: 5
-      start_period: 10s
-
   gateway:
     build:
       context: ../..
@@ -56,7 +51,7 @@ services:
       api:
         condition: service_healthy
       postgrest:
-        condition: service_healthy
+        condition: service_started
     volumes:
       - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf:ro
     networks: [vezvision_internal, coolify]