npm (Node Package Manager) is the default package manager for Node.js, used to install, manage, and share JavaScript packages.

npm scripts are commands defined in package.json that can be executed using npm run <script-name>:

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node server.js",
    "dev": "nodemon server.js",
    "test": "jest",
    "build": "webpack --mode production",
    "lint": "eslint .",
    "prestart": "npm run build"
  }
}

Benefits:

• Standardized project commands
• Environment-specific configurations
• Lifecycle hooks (pre/post scripts)
• Cross-platform compatibility