What Is the Jupyter Server Documentation Website?

Updated

jupyter-server.readthedocs.io is the official documentation site for the Jupyter Server Project. It is the right place to look if you need to understand, deploy, configure, or extend the backend that powers Jupyter web applications. If you are instead looking for the classic Notebook or JupyterLab source code, this site points you to their separate GitHub repositories rather than documenting them directly.

What Jupyter Server actually is

Jupyter Server is the backend that provides the core services, APIs, and REST endpoints for Jupyter web applications. In other words, it is the layer that handles requests from the browser and connects them to kernels, files, and other services.

The documentation notes that Jupyter Server is a replacement for the Tornado Web Server in Jupyter Notebook, and that Jupyter web applications should move to using Jupyter Server. If you are maintaining something built on the older Notebook server, the site includes a dedicated "Migrating from Notebook Server" page.

What the site covers

The documentation is organized around the tasks different people need to perform, not around a single linear tutorial. The main sections are:

  • Users — installation, configuring a Jupyter Server, launching a bare Jupyter Server, and getting help.
  • Operators — managing multiple extensions, configuring extensions, migrating from Notebook Server, running Jupyter Notebook on Jupyter Server, running a public Jupyter Server, security in the Jupyter Server, security in notebook documents, and configuring logging.
  • Developers — architecture diagrams, depending on Jupyter Server, the REST API, server extensions, file save hooks, the contents API, WebSocket kernel wire protocols, and API docs.
  • Contributors — team and meetings information.

Who the documentation is written for

The site explicitly separates its material by persona, because Jupyter Server is described as a highly technical piece of the Jupyter stack:

Persona What they are
Users People using Jupyter web applications
Operators People deploying or serving Jupyter web applications to others
Developers People writing Jupyter Server extensions and web applications
Contributors People contributing directly to the Jupyter Server library

Pick the section that matches your role; the same topic can appear differently depending on whether you are running a server or writing an extension for it.

What can be built on it

Jupyter Server extensions use the framework and services it provides to create applications and services. The documentation lists examples including JupyterLab, Jupyter Resource Usage, Jupyter Scheduler, jupyter-collaboration, NbClassic, and Cylc UI Server. If you are evaluating whether Jupyter Server fits your project, this list shows the range of things already built on it, from full computational environments to monitoring and workflow tools.

When this site is not what you want

The welcome page links out to other repositories you may have been looking for:

  • Jupyter Server GitHub Repo — the source code described in these docs.
  • Jupyter Notebook GitHub Repo — the source code for the classic Notebook.
  • JupyterLab GitHub Repo — the JupyterLab server, which runs on Jupyter Server.

If your question is about the Notebook or JupyterLab user interface rather than the backend services, APIs, and REST endpoints, start with those repositories instead. The documentation also invites you to open an issue or pull request on the Jupyter Server GitHub repo if you find gaps in the docs.