add dev notes

README.md

@@ -14,3 +14,21 @@ tags:
 ---
 
 Check out the configuration reference at https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-config-reference
+
+## Local development
+
+Create a virtual environment and install the dependencies:
+
+```bash
+conda create -n <env_name> python=3.10
+conda activate <env_name>
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+```
+
+**Follow the instructions in Dockerfile to install other necessary dependencies.**
+
+Start the backend server in debug mode:
+
+```bash
+python backend-cli.py --debug
+```