Preferably, install NVM or alternatively install the correct version of NodeJS specified in .nvmrc. Once nvm is installed:

nvm install && nvm use

This will install and link the correct version of NodeJS locally for the project. You should always ensure you are running the correct version when working on the project.

npm start

This will start a development express server that will watch for changes and rebuild as necessary. This has sever core features:

• Host statically compiled from "dist" directory (see build step later)
• Host dynamically compiled files on-demand from webpack (disabled if only running npm install --production)
• Watch client source files with Hot modules with force reload fallback via webpack
• Watch server source files with server restart via nodemon

npm run build

This will compile all files to the dist directory optmized for production. You could now deploy the contents of this application to run on a remote server.

npm install --production
node server

This will install the minimal number of dependencies to run the express app and start the server without any of the watches.

npm test

This will generate output to the console and artifacts to test-artifacts.