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Improving the feast quickstart documentation #4593
Description
Activity
Missing .gitignore: The generated template doesn't include a .gitignore file specific to Feast. This would be helpful to avoid committing unnecessary files.
No pyproject.toml or requirements.txt: Including these files in the generated template would provide better support for managing dependencies in Python-based projects.
Virtual Environment: The quickstart guide doesn't mention setting up a virtual environment, which is generally expected in Python project scaffolding.
pipx Installation Recommendation: Since Feast is an executable, it may be better to recommend installation via pipx instead of pip to avoid polluting the global Python environment.
Feast Server: It's unclear how to start the Feast server, or if it's even necessary. Clearer documentation around this would help new users.
Absolute Paths in Generated Templates: The generated templates use absolute paths for some files, which can lead to confusion and issues when sharing codebases. Relative paths should be used instead (e.g., in example_repo.py).
Python Module Structure: The structure of the generated repository is confusing, as it includes an init.py file but also has a subdirectory named feature_repo. Clarification on this structure would be helpful.
Quickstart Guide Step Structure: The numbering of steps (e.g., 3a, 3b, 3c) could be simplified to just 3, 4, 5, etc.
Lack of Explanation on Feast and Concepts:
Include a clear description of what Feast is.
Outline what Feast includes and define fundamental concepts clearly.
The concept of "Project" isn’t defined under Concepts > Overview.
Entity concept documentation was found confusing.
FeatureStore Class Enhancements: Adding str, repr, and potentially repr_html methods to the FeatureStore class would make debugging easier.Quickstart Code Inclusion: It would be beneficial to include the actual code directly in the quickstart guide rather than requiring users to run feast init. This reduces friction for new users, especially those who want to skim the guide before working hands-on.
Thank you again for sharing your experience, and we hope to address these points to make Feast even more user-friendly.
This issue we are creating to track the suggestions recommended by feast community member - @MattDelac
I wanted to drop some feedback and notes here about my experience:
It also helps ensure the quickstart guide is at least internally consistent meaning you don't have a situation where the someone updates the generated code but forgets to update the quickstart guide. It also helps ensure the quickstart guide is at least internally consistent meaning you don't have a situation where the someone updates the generated code but forgets to update the quickstart guide.