Everything you need to know to start building real projects with Claude Code. From installation to your first working app in 20 minutes.
Getting Started with Claude Code: A Complete Beginner's Guide
Claude Code is an AI coding assistant that lives in your terminal. Unlike chat-based AI tools, Claude Code can read your files, write code, run commands, and build complete applications — all from natural language instructions.
What Makes Claude Code Different
Most AI coding tools work like this: you copy code, paste it into a chat, get a response, copy the response back. It's slow and error-prone.
Claude Code works differently. It has direct access to your project. It can:
- Read and understand your entire codebase
- Create and edit files
- Run terminal commands
- Install dependencies
- Debug errors in real-time
Your First Project
The best way to learn is by building. We recommend starting with our Local Screen Recorder tutorial — it takes 20 minutes and you'll have a working screen recording app by the end.
Each tutorial uses milestone-based learning: clear checkpoints that break the project into manageable steps. You can track your progress and pick up right where you left off.
Tips for Success
- Read the full prompt before pasting — understand what you're asking Claude Code to build
- Check each milestone before moving on — make sure it works before proceeding
- Don't be afraid to ask Claude Code to fix errors — that's what it's for
- Build your own variations — once you complete a tutorial, try modifying it
Ready to start? Pick a tutorial and start building.