diff --git a/backend/Cargo.toml b/backend/Cargo.toml
index a30c817..4ba54eb 100644
--- a/backend/Cargo.toml
+++ b/backend/Cargo.toml
@@ -23,8 +23,6 @@ serde = "1.0.189"
 serde_json = "1.0.107"
 toml = "0.8.2"
 
-static-files = "0.2"
-
 chrono = "0.4.31"
 
 thiserror = "1.0.49"
@@ -37,6 +35,14 @@ dotenvy = "0.15.7"
 version = "0.6.3"
 features = ["runtime-tokio-rustls", "chrono", "migrate", "offline", "macros", "sqlite"]
 
-[build-dependencies]
-static-files = "0.2"
+[dependencies.static-files]
+version = "0.2"
+optional = true
+
+[build-dependencies.static-files]
+version = "0.2"
+#optional = true
 
+[features]
+default = ["integrated-frontend"]
+integrated-frontend = ["static-files"]
diff --git a/backend/build.rs b/backend/build.rs
index 718f9f1..c25c5ba 100644
--- a/backend/build.rs
+++ b/backend/build.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 fn main() {
     // trigger recompilation when a new migration is added
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=migrations");
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "integrated-frontend")]
     static_files::resource_dir("../frontend/dist").build().unwrap();
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/src/config.rs b/backend/src/config.rs
index 66ee0a4..79fd1b8 100644
--- a/backend/src/config.rs
+++ b/backend/src/config.rs
@@ -48,9 +48,16 @@ impl Config {
 
 		if config.frontend_location.is_none() {
 			match std::env::var("SHORTY_WEBSITE") {
-				Ok(path) => { config.frontend_location = Some(path) }
-				Err(VarError::NotPresent) => {},
-				Err(why) => { error!("{why}") }
+				Ok(path) => { config.frontend_location = Some(path) },
+				#[allow(unused)]
+				Err(e) => {
+					#[cfg(not(feature = "integrated-frontend"))]
+					panic!("Shorty was compiled without the `integrated-frontend` feature, therefore the frontend_location key is mandatory");
+
+					if e != VarError::NotPresent {
+						error!("{e}");
+					}
+				},
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/backend/src/endpoints.rs b/backend/src/endpoints.rs
index df42488..0ad6669 100644
--- a/backend/src/endpoints.rs
+++ b/backend/src/endpoints.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
-use std::collections::HashMap;
 use actix_files::NamedFile;
 use actix_web::{get, HttpRequest, HttpResponse, post, Responder, web};
-use static_files::Resource;
-use tracing::{debug, info, warn};
+use tracing::{debug, info};
 
 use crate::CONFIG;
 use crate::error::ShortyError;
@@ -20,12 +18,19 @@ pub async fn index(req: HttpRequest) -> Result<impl Responder, Box<dyn std::erro
 		return Ok(NamedFile::open(path)?.into_response(&req));
 	}
 
-	let response = get_embedded_file("index.html").unwrap();
-	Ok(
-		HttpResponse::Ok()
-			.content_type(response.0)
-			.body(response.1)
-	)
+	#[cfg(feature = "integrated-frontend")]
+	{
+		let response = get_embedded_file("index.html").unwrap();
+
+		return Ok(
+			HttpResponse::Ok()
+				.content_type(response.0)
+				.body(response.1)
+		);
+	}
+
+	#[allow(unreachable_code)]
+	{ unreachable!("If this is encountered, the `frontend_location` config key was not ensured to be present"); }
 }
 
 #[get("/{shortened_url:.*}")]
@@ -132,33 +137,43 @@ pub async fn serve_file(asset: web::Path<String>, req: HttpRequest) -> Result<im
 		return Ok(NamedFile::open(path)?.into_response(&req));
 	}
 
-	// Tuple of MIME Type and Content.
-	let response_opt: Option<(&str, &[u8])> = get_embedded_file(asset.as_str());
-
-
-	if let Some(response) = response_opt {
-		Ok(
-			HttpResponse::Ok()
-				.content_type(response.0)
-				.body(response.1)
-		)
-	} else {
-		Ok(HttpResponse::NotFound().finish())
+	#[cfg(feature = "integrated-frontend")]
+	{
+		// Tuple of MIME Type and Content.
+		let response_opt: Option<(&str, &[u8])> = get_embedded_file(asset.as_str());
+
+
+		return if let Some(response) = response_opt {
+			Ok(
+				HttpResponse::Ok()
+					.content_type(response.0)
+					.body(response.1)
+			)
+		} else {
+			Ok(HttpResponse::NotFound().finish())
+		};
 	}
+
+	#[allow(unreachable_code)]
+	{ unreachable!("If this is encountered, the `frontend_location` config key was not ensured to be present"); }
 }
 
+#[cfg(feature = "integrated-frontend")]
 include!(concat!(env!("OUT_DIR"), "/generated.rs"));
 
 /// Returns a Tuple of Mime Type (as &str) and file content (as &[u8]).
+#[cfg(feature = "integrated-frontend")]
 fn get_embedded_file(file: &str) -> Option<(&'static str, &'static [u8])> {
-	let resources: HashMap<&str, Resource> = generate();
+	use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+	let resources: HashMap<&str, static_files::Resource> = generate();
 
 	debug!("Getting embedded file: {file}");
 
 	resources.get(file).map(|file| {
 		(file.mime_type, file.data)
 	}).or_else(|| {
-		warn!("Got request for {file} but couldn't find embedded asset.");
+		tracing::warn!("Got request for {file} but couldn't find embedded asset.");
 		None
 	})
 }