Docs: Update documentation workflow and contribution guide (#2704)

Co-authored-by: Chayenne <zhaochen20@outlook.com>

README.md

@@ -46,9 +46,10 @@ The core features include:
 
 ## Getting Started
 - [Install SGLang](https://sgl-project.github.io/start/install.html)
-- [Send requests](https://sgl-project.github.io/start/send_request.html)
-- [Backend: SGLang Runtime (SRT)](https://sgl-project.github.io/backend/backend.html)
-- [Frontend: Structured Generation Language (SGLang)](https://sgl-project.github.io/frontend/frontend.html)
+- [Quick Start](https://sgl-project.github.io/start/send_request.html)
+- [Backend Tutorial](https://sgl-project.github.io/backend/openai_api_completions.html)
+- [Frontend Tutorial](https://sgl-project.github.io/frontend/frontend.html)
+- [Contribution Guide](https://sgl-project.github.io/references/contribution_guide.html)
 
 ## Benchmark and Performance
 Learn more in our release blogs: [v0.2 blog](https://lmsys.org/blog/2024-07-25-sglang-llama3/), [v0.3 blog](https://lmsys.org/blog/2024-09-04-sglang-v0-3/), [v0.4 blog](https://lmsys.org/blog/2024-12-04-sglang-v0-4/)

docs/README.md

 # SGLang Documentation
-This is the documentation repository for SGLang. It is auto-generated from https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang/tree/main/docs.
+We recommend new contributors start from writing documentation, which helps you quickly understand SGLang codebase. Most documentation files are located under the `docs/` folder. We prefer **Jupyter Notebooks** over Markdown so that all examples can be executed and validated by our docs CI pipeline.
 
-## Build the documentation website
+## Docs Workflow
 
-### Dependency
-```
+### Install Dependency
+
+```bash
 pip install -r requirements.txt
 ```
 
-### Build
-```
+### Update Documentation
+
+Update your Jupyter notebooks in the appropriate subdirectories under `docs/`. If you add new files, remember to update `index.rst` (or relevant `.rst` files) accordingly.
+
+- **`pre-commit run --all-files`** manually runs all configured checks, applying fixes if possible. If it fails the first time, re-run it to ensure lint errors are fully resolved. Make sure your code passes all checks **before** creating a Pull Request.
+- **Do not commit** directly to the `main` branch. Always create a new branch (e.g., `feature/my-new-feature`), push your changes, and open a PR from that branch.
+
+```bash
+# 1) Compile all Jupyter notebooks
+make compile
+
+# 2) Generate static HTML
 make html
-```
 
-### Clean
-To remove all generated files:
-```
-make clean
-```
+# 3) Preview documentation locally
+# Open your browser at the displayed port to view the docs
+bash serve.sh
 
-### Serve (preview)
-Run an HTTP server and visit http://localhost:8000 in your browser.
+# 4) Clean notebook outputs
+# nbstripout removes notebook outputs so your PR stays clean
+pip install nbstripout
+find . -name '*.ipynb' -exec nbstripout {} \;
 
+# 5) Pre-commit checks and create a PR
+# After these checks pass, push your changes and open a PR on your branch
+pre-commit run --all-files
 ```
-python3 -m http.server --d _build/html
+
+
+If you need to run and shut down a SGLang server or engine, following these examples:
+
+1. Launch and close Sever:
+
+```python
+#Launch Sever
+
+from sglang.utils import (
+    execute_shell_command,
+    wait_for_server,
+    terminate_process,
+    print_highlight,
+)
+
+server_process = execute_shell_command(
+    "python -m sglang.launch_server --model-path meta-llama/Meta-Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct --port 30000 --host 0.0.0.0"
+)
+
+wait_for_server("http://localhost:30000")
+
+# Terminate Sever
+
+terminate_process(server_process)
 ```
+2. Launch Engine and close Engine
 
-### Deploy
-Clone [sgl-project.github.io](https://github.com/sgl-project/sgl-project.github.io) and make sure you have write access.
+```python
+# Launch Engine
 
-```bash
-export DOC_SITE_PATH=../../sgl-project.github.io   # update this with your path
-python3 deploy.py
+import sglang as sgl
+import asyncio
+
+llm = sgl.Engine(model_path="meta-llama/Meta-Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct")
+
+# Terminalte Engine
+llm.shutdown()
 ```

docs/references/contribution_guide.md

@@ -6,31 +6,15 @@ Welcome to **SGLang**! We appreciate your interest in contributing. This guide p
 
 ### Fork and Clone the Repository
 
-**Note**: SGLang does **not** accept PRs on the main repo. Please fork the repository under your GitHub account, then clone your fork locally.
+**Note**: New contributors do **not** have the write permission to push to SGLang. Please fork the repository under your GitHub account, then clone your fork locally.
 
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/<your_user_name>/sglang.git
-cd sglang
 ```
 
 ### Install Dependencies & Build
 
-Refer to [Install SGLang](https://sgl-project.github.io/start/install.html) documentation for more details on setting up the necessary dependencies.
-
-Install correct version of flashinfer according to your PyTorch and CUDA versions.
-```bash
-python -c "import torch; print('PyTorch Version:', torch.__version__); print('CUDA Version:', torch.version.cuda)"
-```
-
-Below is an example on PyTorch 2.4 with CUDA 12.4:
-```bash
-pip install --upgrade pip
-pip install -e "python[all]" --find-links https://flashinfer.ai/whl/cu124/torch2.4/flashinfer/
-
-# Install the lateset SGLang on your own fork repo
-cd sglang/python
-pip install .
-```
+Refer to [Install SGLang from Source](https://sgl-project.github.io/start/install.html#method-2-from-source) documentation for more details on setting up the necessary dependencies.
 
 ## Code Formatting with Pre-Commit
 
@@ -38,130 +22,19 @@ We use [pre-commit](https://pre-commit.com/) to maintain consistent code style c
 
 ```bash
 pip3 install pre-commit
-cd sglang
 pre-commit run --all-files
 ```
 
 - **`pre-commit run --all-files`** manually runs all configured checks, applying fixes if possible. If it fails the first time, re-run it to ensure lint errors are fully resolved. Make sure your code passes all checks **before** creating a Pull Request.
 - **Do not commit** directly to the `main` branch. Always create a new branch (e.g., `feature/my-new-feature`), push your changes, and open a PR from that branch.
 
-## Writing Documentation & Running Docs CI
-
-Most documentation files are located under the `docs/` folder. We prefer **Jupyter Notebooks** over Markdown so that all examples can be executed and validated by our docs CI pipeline.
-
-### Docs Workflow
-
-Add or update your Jupyter notebooks in the appropriate subdirectories under `docs/`. If you add new files, remember to update `index.rst` (or relevant `.rst` files) accordingly.
-
-```bash
-# 1) Compile all Jupyter notebooks
-make compile
-
-# 2) Generate static HTML
-make html
-
-# 3) Preview documentation locally
-bash serve.sh
-# Open your browser at the displayed port to view the docs
-
-# 4) Clean notebook outputs
-pip install nbstripout
-find . -name '*.ipynb' -exec nbstripout {} \;
-# nbstripout removes notebook outputs so your PR stays clean
-
-# 5) Pre-commit checks and create a PR
-pre-commit run --all-files
-# After these checks pass, push your changes and open a PR on your branch
-```
-
-
-If you need to run and shut up a SGLang server or engine, following these examples:
-
-1. Launch and close Sever:
-
-```python
-#Launch Sever
-
-from sglang.utils import (
-    execute_shell_command,
-    wait_for_server,
-    terminate_process,
-    print_highlight,
-)
-
-server_process = execute_shell_command(
-    "python -m sglang.launch_server --model-path meta-llama/Meta-Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct --port 30000 --host 0.0.0.0"
-)
-
-wait_for_server("http://localhost:30000")
-
-# Terminate Sever
-
-terminate_process(server_process)
-```
-2. Launch Engine and close Engine
-
-```python
-# Launch Engine
-
-import sglang as sgl
-import asyncio
-
-llm = sgl.Engine(model_path="meta-llama/Meta-Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct")
-
-# Terminalte Engine
-llm.shutdown()
-```
-
-
 ## Running Unit Tests & Adding to CI
 
-SGLang uses Python’s built-in [unittest](https://docs.python.org/3/library/unittest.html) framework. You can run tests either individually or in suites.
-
-### Test Backend Runtime
-
-```bash
-cd sglang/test/srt
-
-# Run a single file
-python3 test_srt_endpoint.py
+SGLang uses Python's built-in [unittest](https://docs.python.org/3/library/unittest.html) framework. For detailed instructions on running tests and adding them to CI, please refer to [test/README.md](https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang/tree/main/test/README.md).
 
-# Run a single test
-python3 -m unittest test_srt_endpoint.TestSRTEndpoint.test_simple_decode
-
-# Run a suite with multiple files
-python3 run_suite.py --suite minimal
-```
-
-### Test Frontend Language
-
-```bash
-cd sglang/test/lang
-export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-*****
-
-# Run a single file
-python3 test_openai_backend.py
-
-# Run a single test
-python3 -m unittest test_openai_backend.TestOpenAIBackend.test_few_shot_qa
-
-# Run a suite with multiple files
-python3 run_suite.py --suite minimal
-```
-
-### Adding or Updating Tests in CI
-
-- Create new test files under `test/srt` or `test/lang` depending on the type of test.
-- Ensure they are referenced in the respective `run_suite.py` (e.g., `test/srt/run_suite.py` or `test/lang/run_suite.py`) so they’re picked up in CI.
-- In CI, all tests run automatically. You may modify the workflows in [`.github/workflows/`](https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang/tree/main/.github/workflows) to add custom test groups or extra checks.
-
-### Writing Elegant Test Cases
+## Writing Documentation & Running Docs CI
 
-- Examine existing tests in [sglang/test](https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang/tree/main/test) for practical examples.
-- Keep each test function focused on a single scenario or piece of functionality.
-- Give tests descriptive names reflecting their purpose.
-- Use robust assertions (e.g., assert, unittest methods) to validate outcomes.
-- Clean up resources to avoid side effects and preserve test independence.
+We recommend new contributors start from writing documentation, which helps you quickly understand SGLang codebase. For more details, please refer to [docs/README.md](https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang/tree/main/docs/README.md).
 
 
 ## Tips for Newcomers

test/README.md

@@ -30,3 +30,18 @@ python3 -m unittest test_openai_backend.TestOpenAIBackend.test_few_shot_qa
 # Run a suite with multiple files
 python3 run_suite.py --suite minimal
 ```
+
+## Adding or Updating Tests in CI
+
+- Create new test files under `test/srt` or `test/lang` depending on the type of test.
+- Ensure they are referenced in the respective `run_suite.py` (e.g., `test/srt/run_suite.py` or `test/lang/run_suite.py`) so they’re picked up in CI.
+- In CI, all tests run automatically. You may modify the workflows in [`.github/workflows/`](https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang/tree/main/.github/workflows) to add custom test groups or extra checks.
+
+
+## Writing Elegant Test Cases
+
+- Examine existing tests in [sglang/test](https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang/tree/main/test) for practical examples.
+- Keep each test function focused on a single scenario or piece of functionality.
+- Give tests descriptive names reflecting their purpose.
+- Use robust assertions (e.g., assert, unittest methods) to validate outcomes.
+- Clean up resources to avoid side effects and preserve test independence.