npm Scripts You're Probably Not Using (But Should Be)

Most devs stop at dev, build, and start in their package.json.

But npm scripts have built-in power that replaces a lot of extra tooling:

• pre/post hooks: run checks before/after any script automatically
• Pass args with --: npm run test -- --watch instead of a separate script
• run-p / run-s: parallel and serial execution cross-platform
• cross-env: set env vars that work on Windows, Mac, and Linux
• node --watch: built-in file watching since Node 18, no nodemon needed
• $npm_package_version: use package.json fields directly in scripts
• Namespaced scripts: dev:*, build:*, db:* for self-documenting structure

Full breakdown with examples:
https://devencyclopedia.com/blog/npm-scripts-you-should-know