---
title: Why does npm run start not work on Vercel?
description: Information on why commands that start servers may not work with Vercel.
url: /kb/guide/npm-run-start-not-working
canonical_url: "https://vercel.com/kb/guide/npm-run-start-not-working"
last_updated: 2025-11-10
authors: Matthew Sweeney
related:
  - /docs/functions
install_vercel_plugin: npx plugins add vercel/vercel-plugin
---

When deploying your application with Vercel you are prompted for a build command. This command is intended to build your application to generate frontend assets that can be served by the Vercel CDN.

## No Running Servers

If your build command is `npm run start`, `node app.js`, `nodemon server.js`, or similar, it is likely you are trying to start a server for your application.

The Vercel platform is serverless and designed for static frontends and [Serverless Functions](https://vercel.com/docs/functions). **There is no running server**.

As a result of this, if you are trying to start a server, you are likely to run into difficulties either with your application not starting, or unexpected behavior.

## Serverless Functions

As an alternative to running a server, Vercel allows you to create Serverless Functions, which can be used to execute logic on the server side.

Serverless Functions are stateless and event-driven, which means that they are created to respond to a request and will no longer exist once the response has been sent.

Therefore, it is not possible to store state in-between requests. Any data that needs to be persisted must be stored in a database.