diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1c16067..1757b35 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -9,6 +9,23 @@ JupyterLite is being tested against modern web browsers:
 - Firefox 90+
 - Chromium 89+
 
+## Installing and running locally
+
+Install this code in a virtual Python environment:
+```bash
+python3 -m venv .venv
+source .venv/bin/activate
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+```
+
+The above needs to be done only once.
+
+Once the virtual environment has been set up with the packages installed, to run the server:
+
+```bash
+make serve
+```
+
 ## Further Information and Updates
 
 For more info, keep an eye on the JupyterLite documentation: