Documentation update for npm build

[gg2]

From what I gather, npm build changed somewhere along the way, such that npm build used to be a functional counterpart to npm start; whereas now npm build has been subsumed as some sort of internal command. But the documentation for npm 6.x and 7.x makes no mention of this, and primarily references npm link or npm install. The docs and the npm build command itself do mention npm run-script. So it is very confusing, and one must understand very well that npm start is a shortcut for nmp run-script start, and npm start is related therefore to npm run-script build and npm build 's apparent old usage.

So it would be excellent to update the docs to lay this out as an aside, and help refer someone who isn't absolutely immersed in npm culture to the right places. In particular, this would be helpful because shortcut commands like npm start, npm test, etc still exist and are readily referenced by project's like build-react-app. i.e. It is not immediately apparent that the npm build cognate does not apply (or rather, given all the web references to it, npm build used to apply but does not apply any longer -- if expecting to see a description or usage similar to npm start, etc please see npm run-script build).

[ljharb]

npm build isn't a thing in npm afaik - npm run build would just run your project's "build" script, in package.json scripts.

When I try npm v1 through v6 in a package without a "build" script, it does exit zero with no output - when I try npm 7, it errors with "unknown command".

When I do the same in a package with a "build" script in npm < 7, i get `npm build` called with no arguments. Did you mean to `npm run-script build` .

In other words, I don't think it's ever been a useful alias for npm run build.

[gg2]

Huh. OK. I came to that conclusion, because it is a claim on this:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43664200/what-is-the-difference-between-npm-install-and-npm-run-build
(2nd answer down; that user seems to have known of npm build as doing something different previously; so it is interesting if you experimented with previous npm versions and found it nonexistent).

I looked at that (among whatever else), because I was trying to understand why I could do npm start (knowing that npm start references the start in "scripts" in package.json), but not npm build (knowing that there is a build in "scripts" also). But not immediately being clear that npm run-script applies to npm run-script start, and is therefore a cognate of npm run-script build.

So, even if npm build never was a cognate of npm start, I still think it would be helpful to point out then, in the docs, that npm build is not, and that's why you (the user) should reference npm run-script build|start|test|etc.

Thank you for experimenting and pointing that out.

[thescientist13]

So, even if npm build never was a cognate of npm start, I still think it would be helpful to point out then, in the docs, that npm build is not, and that's why you (the user) should reference npm run-script build|start|test|etc.

From that same SO thread, the third answer seems to imply there are docs for that, the link is broken it seems?

npm build is an internal command and is called by link and install commands, according to the documentation for build:

This is the plumbing command called by npm link and npm install.

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Not sure if there is a new link for said doc? The v7 docs I found don't list it at all. A DenverCoder9 situation? 😄

[robertwbradford]

Looks like npm build was a thing in v6: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v6/commands/npm-build. I don't see it in subsequent versions. However, the docs for npm rebuild up through v9 mention that it re-runs npm build, so that is confusing. The v10 docs for npm rebuild no longer mention npm build: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v10/commands/npm-rebuild.