Enable frontend distribution as npm package with backend integration

[Copilot]

Addresses distribution question: frontend can now be published to npm (@ibex/frontend) and consumed independently while integrating with pip-installed backend via REST API.

Package Configuration

• package.json: Publishing metadata, CLI entry point (ibex-frontend), prepublish hooks
• .npmignore: Package content control (114 files)
• bin/ibex-frontend: Node CLI that configures API URL, checks backend availability, launches Electron

Integration Architecture

Frontend and backend communicate over HTTP, allowing independent installation:

# Separate installation
pip install ibex
npm install -g @ibex/frontend

# Backend serves API
run_ibex_service -p 8000

# Frontend connects to any backend
ibex-frontend --api-url http://localhost:8000

Config via ~/.config/ibex/config.json or CLI flags.

Automation & Tooling

• launch_ibex.py: Python launcher with random port sampling, localhost binding
• quick-start.sh: Bash launcher with ss/netstat fallback
• .github/workflows/publish-frontend-npm.yml: Automated npm publishing on releases
• .github/scripts/sync_version.py: Version synchronization between packages

Documentation

• NPM_PACKAGE_GUIDE.md: Installation scenarios, version compatibility, troubleshooting
• VERSION_COMPATIBILITY.md: Independent semver strategy with API versioning
• Updated README.md with npm installation option

Security

• Socket binding restricted to localhost (127.0.0.1)
• Workflow permissions explicitly scoped to contents: read

No breaking changes—source installation remains unchanged. npm package is additive distribution option.

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