diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index cfdcd878f..b1b07b8a5 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -10,29 +10,28 @@
 #     - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG =~ /^t/
 #     - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG =~ /^d/
 
+variables:
+  # TODO: old vars; review and maybe remove
+  AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE: "/etc/aws/credentials"
+  TRANSFER_METER_FREQUENCY: "2s"
+
+  # docker
+  ENV_USER: "fradrive-env"
+
+  # backend
+  STACK_ROOT: "${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/.stack"
+
+
 default:
   image:
     name: registry.uniworx.de/fradrive/fradrive/fradrive-env:latest # bookworm
     entrypoint: [""]
     docker:
       platform: x86_64
-      user: fradrive-env
+      user: ${ENV_USER}
   before_script:
-    - chown -R ${ENV_USER} . # 
+    - chown -R ${ENV_USER} . # change project directory ownership to (non-root) user inside docker container
 
-variables:
-  NIX_PATH: "nixpkgs=http://nixos.org/channels/nixos-23.11/nixexprs.tar.xz"
-  AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE: "/etc/aws/credentials"
-
-  TRANSFER_METER_FREQUENCY: "2s"
-
-  NIX_CONFIG: |-
-    extra-substituters = https://cache.iog.io
-    extra-trusted-public-keys = hydra.iohk.io:f/Ea+s+dFdN+3Y/G+FDgSq+a5NEWhJGzdjvKNGv0/EQ=
-
-  STACK_ROOT: "${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/.stack"
-
-  ENV_USER: "fradrive-env"
 
 stages:
   - setup
@@ -43,8 +42,9 @@ stages:
   - prepare release
   - release
 
+
 # TODO: rename to "frontend dependencies"
-node modules:
+frontend dependencies:
   stage: setup
   cache:
     - &npm-cache
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ well-known:
   script:
     - make well-known
   needs:
-    - job: node modules
+    - job: frontend dependencies
       artifacts: true
   cache:
     - &frontend-cache
@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@ backend dependencies:
       paths:
         - .stack
   script:
-    - echo ${LC_ALL} ${LANG}
     - make backend-dependencies-prod
   artifacts:
     paths:
@@ -111,7 +110,7 @@ frontend lint:
   cache:
     - *frontend-cache
   needs:
-    - job: node modules
+    - job: frontend dependencies
       artifacts: true
     - job: well-known
       artifacts: true
@@ -138,7 +137,7 @@ frontend build:
   script:
     - make frontend-build
   needs:
-    - job: node modules
+    - job: frontend dependencies
       artifacts: true
     - job: well-known
       artifacts: true
@@ -163,7 +162,7 @@ backend build:
     - cp $(stack path --dist-dir)/build/hlint/hlint bin/test-hlint
     - cp $(stack path --dist-dir)/build/yesod/yesod bin/test-yesod
   needs:
-    - job: node modules # transitive
+    - job: frontend dependencies # transitive
       artifacts: false
     - job: well-known
       artifacts: true
@@ -189,7 +188,7 @@ uniworxdb:
   script:
     - make bin/uniworxdb
   needs:
-    - job: node modules # transitive
+    - job: frontend dependencies # transitive
       artifacts: false
     - job: frontend build # transitive
       artifacts: false
@@ -208,7 +207,7 @@ uniworx:exe:uniworxload:
     - nix -L build -o result ".#uniworx:exe:uniworxload"
     - nix-store --export $(nix-store -qR result) | xz -T0 -2 > uniworx:exe:uniworxload.nar.xz
   needs:
-    - job: node modules # transitive
+    - job: frontend dependencies # transitive
       artifacts: false
     - job: frontend build # transitive
       artifacts: false
@@ -228,7 +227,7 @@ uniworx:exe:uniworxload:
 #     - xzcat uniworx:lib:uniworx.nar.xz | nix-store --import
 #     - nix -L flake check .
 #   needs:
-#     - job: node modules # transitive
+#     - job: frontend dependencies # transitive
 #       artifacts: false
 #     - job: frontend build
 #       artifacts: true
@@ -241,7 +240,7 @@ frontend test:
     - make frontend-test
   cache: *frontend-cache
   needs:
-    - job: node modules
+    - job: frontend dependencies
       artifacts: true
   retry: 2
   interruptible: true
@@ -264,7 +263,7 @@ container:
     - xzcat uniworx:exe:uniworx.nar.xz | nix-store --import
     - cp -pr --reflink=auto -L $(nix build --print-out-paths  ".#uniworxDocker") uniworx.tar.gz
   needs:
-    - job: node modules # transitive
+    - job: frontend dependencies # transitive
       artifacts: false
     - job: frontend build # transitive
       artifacts: false
@@ -287,7 +286,7 @@ test container:
     - xzcat uniworx:exe:uniworx.nar.xz | nix-store --import
     - cp -pr --reflink=auto -L $(nix build --print-out-paths  ".#uniworxTestDocker") uniworx.tar.gz
   needs:
-    - job: node modules # transitive
+    - job: frontend dependencies # transitive
       artifacts: false
     - job: frontend build # transitive
       artifacts: false
@@ -308,7 +307,7 @@ test container:
 parse changelog:
   stage: prepare release
   needs:
-    - job: node modules
+    - job: frontend dependencies
       artifacts: true
   rules: *release-rules
   script:
@@ -329,7 +328,7 @@ parse changelog:
 parse test changelog:
   stage: prepare release
   needs:
-    - job: node modules
+    - job: frontend dependencies
       artifacts: true
   rules: *test-release-rules
   script:
@@ -357,7 +356,7 @@ upload container:
     - skopeo --insecure-policy copy --dest-creds "${CI_REGISTRY_USER}:${CI_JOB_TOKEN}" docker-archive://$(pwd)/uniworx.tar.gz docker://${CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE}:${VERSION}
     - skopeo --insecure-policy copy --src-creds "${CI_REGISTRY_USER}:${CI_JOB_TOKEN}" --dest-creds "${CI_REGISTRY_USER}:${CI_JOB_TOKEN}" docker://${CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE}:${VERSION} docker://${CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE}:latest
   needs:
-    - job: node modules # transitive
+    - job: frontend dependencies # transitive
       artifacts: false
     - job: frontend build # transitive
       artifacts: false
@@ -380,7 +379,7 @@ upload test container:
     - skopeo --insecure-policy copy --dest-creds "${CI_REGISTRY_USER}:${CI_JOB_TOKEN}" docker-archive://$(pwd)/uniworx.tar.gz docker://${CI_REGISTRY}/fradrive/fradrive/test:${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}
     - skopeo --insecure-policy copy --src-creds "${CI_REGISTRY_USER}:${CI_JOB_TOKEN}" --dest-creds "${CI_REGISTRY_USER}:${CI_JOB_TOKEN}" docker://${CI_REGISTRY}/fradrive/fradrive/test:${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME} docker://${CI_REGISTRY}/fradrive/fradrive/test:latest
   needs:
-    - job: node modules # transitive
+    - job: frontend dependencies # transitive
       artifacts: false
     - job: frontend build # transitive
       artifacts: false