Firebase and Create React Gives 'Unexpected token <' Error

Question

Creating a basic app using create-react-app works fine using npm start but once I moved it over to firebase serve I get

Uncaught SyntaxError: Unexpected token <

I followed all the instructions and muy firebase.json looks good, as well as my .firebaserc

{
  "name": "www",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "private": true,
  "homepage": "https://www.gitlab.io/",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "react-scripts start",
    "build": "react-scripts build",
    "test": "react-scripts test --env=jsdom",
    "eject": "react-scripts eject",
    "precommit": "lint-staged"
  },
  "lint-staged": {
    "linters": {
      "src/**/*.js": [
        "prettier-standard",
        "git add"
      ]
    }
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^16.2.0",
    "react-dom": "^16.2.0",
    "react-scripts": "1.0.12",
    "styled-components": "^3.1.6"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "husky": "^0.14.3",
    "lint-staged": "^6.1.0",
    "prettier-standard": "^8.0.0"
  }
}

Answer 1

After hours of trying to debug (and creating a vanilla react app from scratch), I tried using an earlier version of react, specifically 16.0.0 instead of 16.2.0 . That alone allowed the rendered page using firebase serve to work properly.

Hopefully this helps some poor soul save a few hours of chasing their tail.