diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 9f23aea..f3de796 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -10,13 +10,6 @@ WORKDIR /app
 COPY --from=deps /app/node_modules ./node_modules
 COPY . .
 
-# Inject NEXT_PUBLIC_ vars at build time (required for client-side embedding)
-ARG NEXT_PUBLIC_GUEST_EMAIL
-ARG NEXT_PUBLIC_GUEST_PASSWORD
-
-ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_GUEST_EMAIL=$NEXT_PUBLIC_GUEST_EMAIL
-ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_GUEST_PASSWORD=$NEXT_PUBLIC_GUEST_PASSWORD
-
 RUN npm run build
 
 # 3. Run production image (Node.js server)
diff --git a/app/(auth)/login/page.tsx b/app/(auth)/login/page.tsx
index 5e934dc..232f680 100644
--- a/app/(auth)/login/page.tsx
+++ b/app/(auth)/login/page.tsx
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 import { useState } from "react";
 import { useRouter } from "next/navigation";
 import Link from "next/link";
-import { getGuestCredentials, loginUser } from "@/services/auth.service";
+import { loginAsGuest, loginUser } from "@/services/auth.service";
 
 /**
  * Renders the login page containing the authentication form, error handling,
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export default function LoginPage() {
   };
 
   /**
-   * Fetches guest user credentials and triggers guest authentication.
+   * Triggers secure guest authentication via the backend service.
    *
    * @async
    */
@@ -73,15 +73,15 @@ export default function LoginPage() {
     setError(null);
     setLoadingType("guest");
 
-    const result = await getGuestCredentials();
+    const result = await loginAsGuest();
 
-    if (result.error || !result.email || !result.password) {
-      setError(result.error || "Guest login is not configured properly.");
+    if (result.error) {
+      setError(result.error);
       setLoadingType(null);
       return;
     }
 
-    await handleSignIn(result.email, result.password, "guest");
+    router.push("/summary");
   };
 
   return (
diff --git a/app/api/auth/guest/route.ts b/app/api/auth/guest/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..77245b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/api/auth/guest/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/**
+ * @file api/auth/guest/route.ts
+ * @description API route handler for guest authentication utilizing server-side environment variables and auto sign-in.
+ */
+
+import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
+import { signIn } from "@/auth";
+
+/**
+ * Handles POST requests to authenticate as a guest user using environment credentials.
+ *
+ * @async
+ * @returns {Promise<NextResponse>} A JSON response confirming successful guest sign-in or an error message.
+ */
+export async function POST() {
+  const email = process.env.GUEST_EMAIL;
+  const password = process.env.GUEST_PASSWORD;
+
+  if (!email || !password) {
+    return NextResponse.json(
+      { error: "Guest login is not configured on the server." },
+      { status: 500 },
+    );
+  }
+
+  try {
+    await signIn("credentials", {
+      email,
+      password,
+      redirect: false,
+    });
+
+    return NextResponse.json({ success: true }, { status: 200 });
+  } catch (error: any) {
+    console.error("Guest login error:", error);
+    if (
+      error?.message?.includes("CredentialsSignin") ||
+      error?.type === "CredentialsSignin"
+    ) {
+      return NextResponse.json(
+        { error: "Incorrect guest credentials." },
+        { status: 401 },
+      );
+    }
+
+    return NextResponse.json(
+      { error: "Internal Server Error" },
+      { status: 500 },
+    );
+  }
+}
diff --git a/services/auth.service.ts b/services/auth.service.ts
index 8435333..8056238 100644
--- a/services/auth.service.ts
+++ b/services/auth.service.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,31 @@ export async function getGuestCredentials() {
   return { email, password };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Triggers guest authentication securely via the backend API route.
+ *
+ * @async
+ * @returns {Promise<{ success?: boolean; error?: string }>} An object indicating success or describing the error.
+ */
+export async function loginAsGuest() {
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch("/api/auth/guest", {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+    });
+
+    const data = await response.json();
+
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      return { error: data.error || "Guest login failed." };
+    }
+
+    return { success: true };
+  } catch (err: any) {
+    return { error: "Server error: API endpoint not available" };
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Authenticates a user using email and password credentials, performing client-side validation first.
  *