Claude Code
Claude Code
Section titled “Claude Code”Claude Code is an AI assistant that lives in your terminal and can read, write, and run code on your computer.
That one sentence matters more than it sounds. When you use Claude in a browser, you’re having a conversation. When you use Claude Code, you’re giving an AI assistant actual access to your machine — it can open files, write code, run commands, and build things. The difference is the difference between asking a contractor what they’d do and handing them a set of keys.
Browser Claude vs. Claude Code
Section titled “Browser Claude vs. Claude Code”Most people start with Claude.ai. It’s great. But it has a fundamental limitation: it can’t touch anything. You paste code in, it responds, you copy the response out, you paste it somewhere else. Every interaction requires you to be the relay.
Claude Code removes that bottleneck.
| Claude.ai (Browser) | Claude Code (CLI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Reads your files | No — you paste them in | Yes — directly |
| Edits your files | No — you copy/paste changes | Yes — with your permission |
| Runs commands | No | Yes |
| Builds actual software | Partial | Yes |
| Remembers your project | Per session only | Across sessions via memory |
| Works offline | No | Partially |
If you’ve ever thought “I wish Claude could just look at my whole project instead of me pasting everything” — that’s exactly what Claude Code is for.
What You’ll Learn in This Section
Section titled “What You’ll Learn in This Section”| Page | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Your First Hour with Claude Code | Installation, first launch, first real task, key commands, avoiding beginner mistakes |
| Setting Up Your Workspace | CLAUDE.md, memory system, settings, project vs. global config |
| Skills, Hooks & Extending Claude Code | Custom commands, automation hooks, plugins — when you’re ready to go further |
Before You Start
Section titled “Before You Start”You don’t need to be a developer to use Claude Code. You do need to be comfortable with one thing: opening a terminal.
If you’ve ever opened Terminal on a Mac, or Command Prompt / PowerShell on Windows, you’re already there. Claude Code runs inside that window. You type a prompt, it responds, it does things. That’s the whole interface.
!!! tip “Not sure about terminals?” If the terminal feels unfamiliar, spend 10 minutes on a beginner tutorial first. Search “how to use terminal Mac” or “how to use PowerShell Windows.” Once you know how to navigate folders and run a command, you’re ready for Claude Code.
Start with Your First Hour with Claude Code — it walks through installation and your first real task from scratch.