---
title: npm-start
section: 1
description: Start a package
---
### Synopsis
<!-- AUTOGENERATED USAGE DESCRIPTIONS -->
### Description
This runs a predefined command specified in the `"start"` property of
a package's `"scripts"` object.
If the `"scripts"` object does not define a `"start"` property, npm
will run `node server.js`.
Note that this is different from the default node behavior of running
the file specified in a package's `"main"` attribute when evoking with
`node .`
As of [`npm@2.0.0`](https://blog.npmjs.org/post/98131109725/npm-2-0-0), you can
use custom arguments when executing scripts. Refer to [`npm run-script`](/commands/npm-run-script) for more details.
### Example
```json
{
"scripts": {
"start": "node foo.js"
}
}
```
```bash
npm start
> npm@x.x.x start
> node foo.js
(foo.js output would be here)
```
### Configuration
<!-- AUTOGENERATED CONFIG DESCRIPTIONS -->
### See Also
* [npm run-script](/commands/npm-run-script)
* [npm scripts](/using-npm/scripts)
* [npm test](/commands/npm-test)
* [npm restart](/commands/npm-restart)
* [npm stop](/commands/npm-stop)
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