Frontend Modernization: Introduce Vite-based bundling workflow (non-breaking)

[sairamsharan]

Hi maintainers

The current MUIO frontend (WebAPP/index.html) loads large third-party libraries directly via script tags without a modern bundling or development workflow. This can impact page load performance and makes it harder for frontend contributors to work with modern JavaScript tooling.

I would like to propose introducing an optional Vite-based build setup to modernize the frontend development experience while keeping the existing behavior fully intact.

Scope (non-breaking)

This proposal is incremental and will NOT rewrite existing frontend logic. The goal is to add a lightweight wrapper that:

• Preserves the current WebAPP structure
• Keeps direct script loading functional
• Adds a modern dev/build workflow for future improvements

Proposed Changes

Configuration

• Add WebAPP/package.json with Vite as a dev dependency
• Add WebAPP/vite.config.js configured to proxy API requests to the Flask/Waitress backend (port 5002)

Frontend Entry

• Introduce a minimal main.js entry point managed by Vite
• Update WebAPP/index.html to load the bundled entry via <script type="module">

Documentation

• Update README with frontend developer instructions:
  • npm install
  • npm run dev
  • npm run build

Expected Benefits

• Faster frontend development workflow
• Foundation for future visualization and UI improvements
• Better onboarding for modern frontend contributors
• No disruption to existing users or deployment flow