[BUG]: Four services read VITE_BASE_URL with no fallback — silent "Failed to fetch" when unset

[RounakKumarAgarwal]

Bug Description

Several frontend services read VITE_BASE_URL directly with no fallback value, while most other files in the codebase guard it with || 'http://localhost:1313'. When VITE_BASE_URL is not set (e.g. a new contributor clones the repo and forgets to create frontend/.env), baseURL becomes undefined, so every request is sent to undefined/<path> and fails silently.

Affected files (no fallback):

• src/services/profileService.ts
• src/services/vsbot.ts
• src/services/adminService.ts
• src/services/leaderboardService.ts

// e.g. profileService.ts
const baseURL = import.meta.env.VITE_BASE_URL;   // undefined if not set
// → fetch(`${baseURL}/user/fetchprofile`) hits "undefined/user/fetchprofile"

For contrast, other files handle this correctly:

const baseURL = import.meta.env.VITE_BASE_URL || 'http://localhost:1313';
// e.g. transcriptService.ts, gamificationService.ts, CommentTree.tsx, etc.

This is a separate issue from #434 — that one is about the wrong variable name (VITE_API_URL never being defined). This is about the correct variable (VITE_BASE_URL) being read without a fallback, causing an inconsistent developer experience and a confusing, hard-to-trace "Failed to fetch" for anyone who hasn't set the env var.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Clone the repo and do NOT create a frontend/.env file (or leave VITE_BASE_URL unset).
2. Run the frontend dev server.
3. Navigate to a page that uses one of the affected services (e.g. Profile, Leaderboard).
4. Observe the request goes to undefined/... and fails with "Failed to fetch"; no clear indication that the env var is the cause.

Logs and Screenshots

$ grep -rn "VITE_BASE_URL;" frontend/src/services/
frontend/src/services/profileService.ts:1:const baseURL = import.meta.env.VITE_BASE_URL;
frontend/src/services/vsbot.ts:3:const baseURL = import.meta.env.VITE_BASE_URL;
frontend/src/services/adminService.ts:1:const baseURL = import.meta.env.VITE_BASE_URL;
frontend/src/services/leaderboardService.ts:1:const baseURL = import.meta.env.VITE_BASE_URL;

Environment Details

• Branch: main
• Frontend: Vite + React (frontend/)
• Config source: .env.example defines VITE_BASE_URL; issue occurs when it is unset
• Note: only reproduces when VITE_BASE_URL is missing — anyone who has set it won't see it. Local dev with the env var set hides the bug.
• Related: separate from [BUG]: VITE_API_URL is never defined in .env.example — team, notification & spectator-WS features break in production #434 (which concerns VITE_API_URL never being defined); this is about VITE_BASE_URL being read without a fallback in these four services.

Impact

Low - Minor inconvenience

Code of Conduct

• I have joined the Discord server and will post updates there
• I have searched existing issues to avoid duplicates