npm start does nothing when I run it on windows

Question

I'm creating an app using create-react-app: create-react-app my-app When the app is created and I execute npm start, I get this output and nothing happens, the app is not started:

my-app@0.1.0 start D:\Development\my-app
react-scripts start 

This is what I obtain when I use npm start --verbose:

npm info it worked if it ends with ok
npm verb cli [ 'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe',
npm verb cli   'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js',
npm verb cli   'start',
npm verb cli   '--verbose' ]
npm info using npm@6.4.1
npm info using node@v10.11.0
npm verb run-script [ 'prestart', 'start', 'poststart' ]
npm info lifecycle my-app@0.1.0~prestart: my-app@0.1.0
npm info lifecycle my-app@0.1.0~start: my-app@0.1.0

my-app@0.1.0 start D:\Development\my-app    
react-scripts start

npm verb lifecycle my-app@0.1.0~start: unsafe-perm in lifecycle true
npm verb lifecycle my-app@0.1.0~start: PATH: C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-lifecycle\node-gyp-bin;D:\Development\my-app\node_modules\.bin;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\bin;C:\Program Files\Git\mingw64\bin;C:\Program Files\Git\usr\local\bin;C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin;C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin;C:\Program Files\Git\cmd;C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\Resources\bin;C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath;C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0;C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\Client SDK\ODBC\130\Tools\Binn;C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\130\Tools\Binn;C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\130\DTS\Binn;C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\130\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio;C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\130\Tools\Binn;C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Web Platform Installer;C:\Program Files\dotnet;C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre1.8.0_144\bin;C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\bin;C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\Client SDK\ODBC\130\Tools\Binn;C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\Tools\Binn;C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\140\Tools\Binn;C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\140\DTS\Binn;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\Development\Nuget;'C;C:\Program Files\Git\Ruby\DevKit\4.7.2\bin;C:\Program Files\TortoiseGit\bin;C:\Program Files\ASUS\Bluetooth Software;C:\Program Files\ASUS\Bluetooth Software\syswow64;D:\Development\phantomjs-2.1.1-windows\bin;C:\Consul;C:\Program Files\Git\cmd;C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Professional\Common7\IDE;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk;C:\Program Files\Microsoft VS Code\bin;C:\Program Files (x86)\Sennheiser\SoftphoneSDK;C:\Program Files\nodejs;C:\Ruby\2.2.6\bin;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps;C:\Program Files\Microsoft VS Code\bin;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Local\Programs\Fiddler;C:\nvm;C:\Program Files\nodejs;C:\tools\cmder;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Local\GitHubDesktop\bin;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Local\hyper\app-2.0.0\resources\bin;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\.dotnet\tools;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Roaming\Dashlane\6.1839.0.13410\bin\Firefox_Extension\{442718d9-475e-452a-b3e1-fb1ee16b8e9f}\components;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Roaming\Dashlane\6.1839.0.13410\ucrt;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Roaming\Dashlane\6.1839.0.13410\bin\Qt;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Roaming\Dashlane\6.1839.0.13410\ucrt;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Roaming\Dashlane\6.1839.0.13410\bin\Ssl;C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox;C:\Users\raguilarbecerra\AppData\Roaming\npm;C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\vendor_perl;C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\core_perl
npm verb lifecycle my-app@0.1.0~start: CWD: D:\Development\my-app
npm info lifecycle my-app@0.1.0~poststart: my-app@0.1.0
npm verb exit [ 0, true ]
npm timing npm Completed in 449ms
npm info ok

---

System Characteristics:

• SO: Windows 10
• node -v: v10.11.0
• npm -v: 6.4.1

package.json:

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "private": true,
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^16.5.2",
    "react-dom": "^16.5.2",
    "react-scripts": "1.1.5"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "start": "react-scripts start",
    "build": "react-scripts build",
    "test": "react-scripts test",
    "eject": "react-scripts eject"
  },
  "eslintConfig": {
    "extends": "react-app"
  },
  "browserslist": [
    ">0.2%",
    "not dead",
    "not ie <= 11",
    "not op_mini all"
  ]
}

Answer 1

TL;DR -- setting npm config set ignore-scripts true caused my issue, reverting it npm config set ignore-scripts false and reinstalling "node_modules" i.e. delete "node_modules" and run "npm install", solved the issue of the dying dev server.

I experienced the exact same issue. After running --verbose, I had the exact same logs. Yet npm start would not start the dev server and would die quietly.

I believe the issue occurs when a(or some) package(s) are not installed correctly. When npm installs a package, it is instructed to install scripts that are listed under the config i.e. package.json file, that resides under the heading "postinstall" key of that package.

If these "postinstall" scripts are not installed, you will end up with the issue above.

How did this happen to me? I set a flag in my npm config to protect my device from installing potentially malicious scripts listed under "postinstall". npm config set ignore-scripts true. Reverting this back to false solved the issue.