2025-05-22
FE Devs’ Classic Mix-Up: npm start
vs npm run dev
Let’s settle this once and for all, so you don’t need to squint at package.json
every Monday morning:
npm start
: This launches your production build—polished, minified, and ready for the world (or at least your boss).npm run dev
: This is your playground. Hot reload, source maps, all the bugs you can eat. Perfect for development.
Yet, every new project: “Wait, is it npm start
or npm run dev
? …Oh, white screen again.”
Quick tip for future you: Just type npm run dev
while coding. Save npm start
for showing off or deploying.
It’s muscle memory for a reason. Don’t be that dev who launches production mode to debug CSS. (We see you.)
Remember: npm run dev
is for fun, npm start
is for done.