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+# Development Guide
+
+This guide explains how to develop and test mahout qdp.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+> Note: Currently we only support Linux machines with NVIDIA GPU.
+
+- Linux machine
+- NVIDIA GPU with CUDA driver and toolkit installed
+- Python 3.10
+- Rust & Cargo
+
+You can run the following to ensure you have successfully installed CUDA toolkit:
+
+```sh
+nvcc --version
+# nvcc: NVIDIA (R) Cuda compiler driver
+# Copyright (c) 2005-2025 NVIDIA Corporation
+# Built on Wed_Aug_20_01:58:59_PM_PDT_2025
+# Cuda compilation tools, release 13.0, V13.0.88
+# Build cuda_13.0.r13.0/compiler.36424714_0
+```
+
+## Using DevContainer (Alternative Setup)
+
+If you prefer a containerized development environment or want to avoid installing CUDA and development tools directly on your host machine, you can use the provided DevContainer configuration.
+
+### Setup
+
+1. Open the project in VS Code
+2. When prompted, click "Reopen in Container" (or use Command Palette: `Dev Containers: Reopen in Container`)
+3. VS Code will build and start the container using the configuration in [.devcontainer/devcontainer.json](.devcontainer/devcontainer.json)
+
+The container includes:
+- **Base image**: `nvidia/cuda:12.4.1-devel-ubuntu22.04` with full CUDA toolkit
+- **Python 3.10**: Installed via DevContainer features
+- **Rust & Cargo**: Installed automatically via [.devcontainer/setup.sh](.devcontainer/setup.sh)
+- **Development tools**: uv, poetry, pre-commit hooks, and build essentials
+- **GPU access**: The container has full access to all GPUs on the host
+- **VS Code extensions**: Python, Rust Analyzer, and TOML support pre-installed
+
+Once the container is running, you can proceed with the build and test steps as described in the sections below. All commands should be run inside the container terminal.
+
+## Build
+
+Execute the following command in the `qdp/` directory to build
+
+```sh
+cargo build -p qdp-core
+```
+
+To build with NVTX enabled, please refer to [NVTX_USAGE docs](./docs/observability/NVTX_USAGE.md).
+
+## Install as Python Package
+
+The full documentation on how to use mahout qdp as a Python package is available in [qdp-python docs](./qdp-python/README.md). Please refer to the docs for more details on how to use the package. We will only show how to install it from source here.
+
+First, create a Python environment with `uv`:
+
+```bash
+# add a uv python 3.11 environment
+uv venv -p python3.11
+source .venv/bin/activate
+```
+
+Then go to the `qdp-python/` directory and run the following commands to install mahout qdp Python package:
+
+```bash
+uv sync --group dev
+uv run maturin develop
+```
+
+## Test
+
+There are two types of tests in mahout qdp: unit tests and e2e tests (benchmark tests).
+
+### Unit Tests
+
+You can simply follow the instructions in [test docs](./docs/test/README.md) to run unit tests.
+
+### E2e Tests
+
+The e2e and benchmark tests are located in the `benchmark` directory and are written in Python. To run them, please ensure you set up the Python environment and install the mahout qdp package following the [Install as Python package](#install-as-python-package) section.
+
+Then, go to the `benchmark/` directory, where all e2e and benchmark tests are located, and install the requirements needed for testing:
+
+```sh
+uv pip install -r requirements.txt
+```
+
+If you only want to run mahout qdp without running qiskit or pennylane benchmark tests, simply uninstall them:
+
+```sh
+uv pip uninstall qiskit pennylane
+```
+
+Then, run the tests:
+
+```sh
+# benchmark test for dataloader throughput
+python benchmark_dataloader_throughput.py
+
+# e2e test
+python benchmark_e2e.py
+```
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Q: Python import fails after installation
+
+A: Ensure you're using the correct Python environment where the package was installed. Verify with `python -c "import mahout_qdp"`. Make sure you activated the virtual environment: `source .venv/bin/activate`.
+
+### Q: Build fails with CUDA-related errors
+
+A: Ensure CUDA toolkit is properly installed and `nvcc` is in PATH. Try `cargo clean` and rebuild.
+
+### Q: I already installed CUDA driver and toolkit, making sure nvcc exists in PATH, but still get "no CUDA installed" warning
+
+A: Run `cargo clean` to clean up the cache and try again.
+
+### Q: Runtime CUDA errors like "invalid device ordinal" or "out of memory"
+
+A: Check available GPUs with `nvidia-smi`. Verify GPU visibility with `echo $CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES`. If needed, specify a GPU: `CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0 python your_script.py`.
+
+### Q: Benchmark tests fail or produce unexpected results
+
+A: Ensure all dependencies are installed with `uv pip install -r benchmark/requirements.txt`. Check GPU memory availability using `nvidia-smi`. If you don't need qiskit/pennylane comparisons, uninstall them as mentioned in the [E2e test section](#e2e-tests).
+
+### Q: Pre-commit hooks fail
+
+A: Run `pre-commit run --all-files` to see specific errors. Common fixes include running `cargo fmt` for formatting and `cargo clippy` for linting issues.
+
+### Q: DevContainer fails to start
+
+A: Ensure Docker and NVIDIA Container Toolkit are installed. Test with `docker run --rm --gpus all nvidia/cuda:12.4.1-base-ubuntu22.04 nvidia-smi`. Try rebuilding without cache via Command Palette: "Dev Containers: Rebuild Container Without Cache".