`netlify-build` versus `netlify build`

moop-moop · May 22, 2020, 5:19pm

What is the difference between netlify-build and netlify build ?

fool · May 25, 2020, 11:38pm

Not sure what netlify-build is. What context did you see it in?

netlify build is the command that runs a build locally for you from our CLI: Get started with Netlify CLI | Netlify Docs

moop-moop · May 26, 2020, 4:43pm

The template for Netlify Build Plugins:

from
@ehmicky

The package.js mentions:

github.com

netlify/build-plugin-template/blob/6fdef2be4170f8bda1470145ccb42e4ed5bd94ed/package.json#L12


      
          "name": "netlify-plugin-example",
          "version": "0.0.1",
          "description": "Netlify Build plugin - {{description}}",
          "main": "src/main.js",
          "files": [
            "src",
            "!*~"
          ],
          "scripts": {
            "init": "npm install --loglevel error --no-audit --no-fund && node init/bin.js",
            "build": "netlify-build",
            "test": "npm run lint && npm run ava",
            "lint": "npm run eslint && npm run prettier",
            "eslint": "eslint --ignore-path .gitignore --fix --cache --format=codeframe --max-warnings=0 \"{src,init}/**/*.js\"",
            "prettier": "prettier --ignore-path .gitignore --write --loglevel warn \"{.github,src,init}/**/*.{js,md,yml,json}\" \"*.{js,md,yml,json}\"",
            "ava": "ava --verbose",
            "release": "release-it"
          },
          "keywords": [
            "netlify-plugin",
            "netlify"

moop-moop · May 26, 2020, 4:50pm

npx netlify-build does seem to work similarly to npx netlify build except some of the Git/Netlify environment variables don’t have values all the time as expected.

fool · May 26, 2020, 5:31pm

ah, yes, netlify-build is the command line utility that npm install -g @netlify/build installs. Thanks for the clue - I’m not a build plugins expert yet

netlify build uses our CLI instead as I linked before. No surprise that using it works better than calling the npm module’s specific CLI directly, since that is the intended use path.

ehmicky · May 27, 2020, 11:10am

I can confirm what @fool is outlining.

Both netlify-build (@netlify/build binary) and netlify build (Netlify CLI command that calls @netlify/build programmatically) should behave pretty similarly. However netlify-build is only meant for internal testing purpose. netlify build also finds your Netlify authentication token (added by netlify login) and site ID (added by netlify link), which helps you use the build settings you might have set in the Netlify app (such as environment variables). It is the recommended approach.

Note that the build-plugin-template is unfortunately outdated in several places. We are working on updating it.