NPM run build with React + Node + concurrently How to? - node.js

Question

I have spend hours trying to figure this out any advice is welcome. The objective here is to assemble a postbuild script that will work on a nodeJS app running a react client.
React is on post 3000 and node is on 5000. So it requires the concurrently library. Below are two attempts do-postbuild and heroku-postbuild (both fail).
"scripts": {
"server": "nodemon server.js --ignore client",
"client": "npm start --prefix ../client",
"dev": "concurrently \"npm run server\" \"npm run client\" ",
"do-postbuild": "NPM_CONFIG_PRODUCTION=false npm install --prefix && npm run build --prefix client",
"heroku-postbuild": "cd ../client && npm install && npm install --only=dev --no-shrinkwrap && npm run build"
},
folder structure
client
server
|_package.json (above)
|_server.js
npm run dev - WORKS perfectly
When I attempt npm run heroku-postbuild it yields the following:
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! ver1.02#1.0.0 heroku-postbuild: `cd client && npm install && npm install --only=dev --no-shrinkwrap && npm run build`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
When attempting to write npm run do-postbuild it throws an error like it is searching for client in the server folder
npm ERR! errno -2
npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/Users/sites/server/client/package.json'
npm ERR! enoent This is related to npm not being able to find a file.
npm ERR! enoent

Answer 1

This is not a HEROKU solution it is for general UBUNTU server with root access.
Solution here is you don't have to dockerize the app as a bundle (client and server together).
What worked for me was to treat the client and server as two different apps.
Client side:
npm run build locally from the same folder as contains your package.json file
then post the app build folder as very straight forward client side app with HTML CSS Javascript
Server side:
upload the server files (not including node_modules folder)
run npm i(from the folder with the package.json file)
I set up reverse proxy to map the port to a specific location on the server for the react to reach it
set up cron job to start server side (and check periodically to ensure it is running)
Thats it - works perfect.

Answer 2

Please add below Scripts and try, it will work 100%.
"scripts": {
"client-install": "npm install --prefix client",
"start": "node server.js",
"server": "nodemon server.js",
"client": "npm start --prefix client",
"dev": "concurrently \"npm run server\" \"npm run client\"",
"heroku-postbuild": "NPM_CONFIG_PRODUCTION=false npm install --prefix client && npm run build --prefix client"
}

Answer 3

Add this in your scripts
"client-install": "npm install --prefix client",