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The Node.js website supports three distinct build targets, each serving a different purpose. They are all defined as scripts in apps/site/package.json.

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Overview

CommandOutputUse case
pnpm build.next/ — Next.js server outputProduction deployment on Vercel
pnpm deploybuild/ — Static file exportHosting without a Node.js server
pnpm devDev server on localhost:3000Local development

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pnpm build

The standard production build, used by Vercel on every deployment. 
pnpm build
What it does:
  1. Runs build:blog-data pre-build script to generate blog metadata
  2. Runs next build via cross-env NODE_NO_WARNINGS=1
  3. Outputs to .next/ (the default Next.js build directory)
This build produces a Next.js server-rendered output that runs on Vercel’s Node.js infrastructure. It supports:
  • URL rewrites and redirects (configured in next.rewrites.mjs)
  • Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR)
  • Next.js Image Optimization
  • Server-side rendering for dynamic routes

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pnpm deploy

The static export build. Used for hosting environments that do not have a Node.js server — specifically, the legacy Node.js website infrastructure on DigitalOcean. 
pnpm deploy
What it does:
  1. Runs build:blog-data pre-deploy script
  2. Sets NEXT_PUBLIC_STATIC_EXPORT=true as an environment variable
  3. Runs next build with that flag active
When NEXT_PUBLIC_STATIC_EXPORT=true is set, next.config.mjs applies these changes: 
// next.config.mjs (simplified)
const nextConfig = {
  // Output to "build" instead of ".next"
  distDir: ENABLE_STATIC_EXPORT ? 'build' : undefined,
  // Enable static export mode
  output: ENABLE_STATIC_EXPORT ? 'export' : undefined,
  // Rewrites and redirects are not supported in static export
  rewrites: ENABLE_STATIC_EXPORT ? undefined : rewrites,
  redirects: ENABLE_STATIC_EXPORT ? undefined : redirects,
};
URL rewrites and redirects are disabled in the static export build. Features that depend on server-side routing are not available. This is why both build targets must be tested when making routing changes.

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Static Export Locale Flag

An additional flag, NEXT_PUBLIC_STATIC_EXPORT_LOCALE=true, controls whether the static export generates pages for all locales or only for the default English locale: 
// next.constants.mjs
export const ENABLE_STATIC_EXPORT_LOCALE =
  process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STATIC_EXPORT_LOCALE === 'true';
This is used in CI to control the scope of the static build.

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pnpm dev

The local development server. Uses Next.js Turbopack for fast iteration. 
pnpm dev
What it does:
  1. Runs build:blog-data pre-dev script to ensure blog metadata is current
  2. Starts next dev with Turbopack (turbopackFileSystemCacheForDev: true)
  3. Serves the site on http://localhost:3000
The build:blog-data script runs before dev starts. If you add new blog posts during a dev session, restart the server or run pnpm build:blog-data manually.

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Cloudflare Build

In addition to the three primary targets, there is a Cloudflare-specific build: 
# Build for Cloudflare Workers
pnpm cloudflare:build:worker

# Preview locally with Wrangler
pnpm cloudflare:preview

# Deploy to Cloudflare
pnpm cloudflare:deploy
See Cloudflare Deployment for full details.

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Blog Data Pre-build Step

All three primary build commands (build, deploy, dev) first run the build:blog-data script: 
# Defined in package.json
"prebuild": "node --run build:blog-data",
"predeploy": "node --run build:blog-data",
"predev":    "node --run build:blog-data"
This script at apps/site/scripts/blog-data/index.mjs reads all blog post files, generates metadata (titles, dates, categories, slugs, reading times), and writes a JSON data file that the build system consumes. Without this step, the blog listing and pagination will be empty or stale.

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