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Claude Code

AnthropicIntermediateUsage-based
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An AI coding assistant that can build apps, websites, and tools for you — available in Claude Desktop or the terminal.

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What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is an AI that can build software for you. You describe what you want — a website, a dashboard, an app, a tool — and Claude Code creates the actual code, files, and everything needed to make it work.

Two ways to use it:

  • Inside Claude Desktop — If you already use the Claude Desktop app, you can turn on "Local" mode and Claude Code will work right inside it. No terminal needed.
  • In the terminal — If you're comfortable with the terminal (the text-based command window), you can also run Claude Code directly there.

Not sure if this is for you? If you just want to chat with AI, write documents, or brainstorm — use Claude on the web instead. Claude Code is specifically for creating and editing software, whether you're a developer or someone who wants to "vibe code" new apps with AI.

Getting started

Option 1: Use Claude Desktop (easiest)

If you already have the Claude Desktop app:

  1. Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings.
  2. Enable Claude Code / Local mode.
  3. Start a conversation and ask Claude to build something: "Create a simple personal website with my name, a photo, and links to my social media."
  4. Claude Code will create the files on your computer and show you the result.

Option 2: Use the terminal

If you prefer the terminal (or want the full feature set):

  1. Open the Terminal app on your Mac. To find it: press Command + Space, type "Terminal", and press Enter.
  2. If you have Homebrew (a popular Mac software installer), type: brew install claude-code
  3. If you don't have Homebrew, use this instead: curl -fsSL https://cli.anthropic.com/install.sh | sh
  4. Type claude and press Enter. Follow the sign-in instructions.

What you can build

Claude Code can create real, working software from your descriptions:

  • Websites — personal sites, landing pages, portfolios
  • Dashboards — data visualizations, admin panels, status boards
  • Internal tools — form builders, calculators, trackers
  • Automations — scripts that process files, send emails, or connect services
  • Full apps — complete applications with databases, user accounts, and more

You don't need to know how to code — just describe what you want in plain language and Claude Code figures out the technical details.

Which Claude product should I use?

Anthropic offers several AI products. Here's how they compare:

Claude on the webClaude DesktopClaude CodeClaude Cowork
Best forChatting, writing, brainstormingWriting + file analysisBuilding softwareFile organization + documents
Who it's forEveryoneEveryoneBuilders & developersOperations & business users
Setup neededNone — just visit claude.aiDownload the appEnable Local mode or install CLIEnable in Desktop settings
Can it edit files on your computer?NoLimitedYes — creates and edits codeYes — organizes and creates documents

Rule of thumb: Use Claude on the web or Claude Desktop for everyday thinking and writing. Use Claude Code when you want to build software. Use Claude Cowork when you want to organize files, create documents, or extract data from PDFs.

Best for

  • Building websites, dashboards, and tools from scratch using plain language descriptions
  • "Vibe coding" — describing what you want and letting AI handle the technical details
  • People who have ideas for apps but don't know how to code
  • Creating automations and scripts to save time on repetitive tasks
  • Anyone curious about building software with AI assistance

External resources

Claude Code docs

Official overview, setup, and feature reference.

Claude Desktop download

Get Claude Desktop — enable Local mode for Claude Code features.

Claude Code Ultimate Guide

Large community guide with walkthroughs and templates.

Anthropic pricing

Current access and usage-based pricing details.

Claude Code beginner walkthrough

YouTube walkthrough for non-technical and first-time users.

Basic tutorials

Build a personal website

Simple mode

  1. Ask Claude Code: 'Create a personal portfolio website with my name, a short bio, a photo placeholder, and links to my social media profiles.'
  2. Claude Code will create HTML, CSS, and any other files needed. Open the HTML file in your browser to see the result.
  3. Ask for changes: 'Make the design more modern' or 'Add a section for my work experience.'

Expected output: You get a working personal website without writing any code yourself.

Next step: Ask Claude Code to add a contact form, a blog section, or deploy it to a hosting service.

Create a data dashboard

Simple mode

  1. Ask Claude Code: 'Build a dashboard that shows sales data from a CSV file. Include a bar chart, a line chart, and a summary table.'
  2. Provide a sample CSV file or describe the data format you have.
  3. Claude Code will create an interactive dashboard you can open in your browser.

Expected output: You get a custom data visualization without learning a charting library.

Next step: Ask Claude Code to add filters, date ranges, or connect to a live data source.

Build an internal tool

Simple mode

  1. Describe the tool you need: 'Create a customer feedback tracker where team members can submit feedback, tag it by category, and filter by date.'
  2. Claude Code will build the entire application — including the form, the data storage, and the interface for browsing entries.
  3. Test it by adding a few entries, then ask for improvements: 'Add an export to CSV button' or 'Add a search feature.'

Expected output: You get a working internal tool tailored to your team's specific workflow.

Next step: Ask Claude Code to add user authentication, email notifications, or connect to your existing database.

Automate a repetitive task

Simple mode

  1. Describe what you need automated: 'Create a script that renames all the photos in a folder by date taken, and organizes them into subfolders by month.'
  2. Claude Code will create a script you can run whenever you need it.
  3. Test it on a copy of your files first, then use it for real.

Expected output: A task that took you 30 minutes now takes 30 seconds.

Next step: Ask Claude Code to schedule the script to run automatically, or add error handling for edge cases.

Best for

  • Building websites, dashboards, and tools from scratch with AI
  • Vibe coding — describing what you want and letting AI handle the details
  • Non-developers who want to create working software from ideas
  • Automating repetitive tasks with custom scripts
  • Terminal-first developers who want advanced features (hooks, MCP, multi-agent)
  • Codebase onboarding, refactoring, and test generation for existing projects

When to choose an alternative

  • You want a visual code editor with AI built in — try Cursor instead.
  • You want a fully hosted app builder with no setup — try Lovable, Replit, or Base44.
  • You just want to chat with AI, not build software — use Claude on the web or Claude Desktop.
  • You're evaluating OpenAI's ecosystem — compare with OpenAI Codex.

EdgeTeam take

Our daily driver for serious development work. The terminal-first flow isn't for everyone, but for teams comfortable with CLI, the repo-awareness and multi-file editing are best-in-class. Cost can surprise you on large codebases — set spend limits early. The new Desktop Local mode makes it more accessible, but it's still fundamentally a developer tool.

See Also

Cursor

GUI editor workflow instead of a terminal-first flow

OpenAI Codex

Comparable agentic coding assistant from OpenAI

OpenCode

Open-source alternative with model/provider flexibility