`npm build` doesn't run the script named “build” in package.json

 Source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/29939697/npm-build-doesnt-run-the-script-named-build-in-package-json

Unfortunately npm build is already an internal command, as described in the docs:

This is the plumbing command called by npm link and npm install. It should generally not be called directly.

Because that command already exists, it always shadows over your "build": "node build.js".

The fully-qualified way to run your own script is with run-script or its alias run:

$ npm run build

npm start and others are the short-hand way, but is only an option when an existing npm command doesn't shadow it, like npm build does.

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For posterity (as others have mentioned) npm build is used by npm to build native C/C++ Node addons using node-gyp. It's not documented well because usually it happens automatically, but if you're interested the source code is here.