(Updated January 2026) Claude Code is a tool that brings AI capabilities in the form of a virtual programmer. Think of it as a colleague sitting beside you, helping with your projects. Unlike regular browser-based chatting where you copy code back and forth, Claude Code works directly with your files on your computer.

What You Can Do With It

Here are just a few examples of what you can accomplish:

  • 💡 Describe the function you need, and Claude writes it for you
  • 🐛 Pass it an error message and let it hunt down and fix the problem
  • 🔧 Refactor existing code, add tests, write documentation
  • 🗺️ When you need to understand an unfamiliar project, just ask how it all works

And here's what you might not know – Claude Code isn't just for programming. Since it has access to your terminal, you can ask it to handle all sorts of tasks:

  • 📋 Organize your downloads folder
  • ⚙️ Install packages and configure your system
  • 📁 Batch rename hundreds of files or search through data

Basically anything you'd normally do on the command line – just instead of googling commands, you describe what you want in plain English and Claude does it for you. We'll explore more in the article What Claude Code Can Do.

Who This Guide Is For

You don't need to be an AI expert or a seasoned programmer – Claude Code is designed to be accessible to everyone. That said, the better you understand programming and your domain, the better results you'll get.

This first article is aimed at complete beginners and walks you through installing Claude Code. In later parts, we'll dive into practical usage, but first we need to tackle that crucial first step – getting it up and running. By the end of this guide, you'll have everything set up and ready to start exploring Claude Code.

How to Use Claude Code?

You can use Claude Code in three ways:

Desktop Application (easiest) 🖥️

A traditional application with windows and buttons – no geeky terminal required. You work with local files on your computer just like in any editor. You watch code being written in real-time and simply approve each step along the way. You won't have access to the full arsenal of advanced commands, but that won't bother a beginner at all.

Command Line / Terminal (for advanced users) 💻

You launch Claude Code from the terminal using text commands. If you're not familiar with terminals, think of them like those text adventure games from the 80s – you type a command, hit Enter, and the computer responds. Except instead of “go north,” you type “build me a website.” You get a full-featured tool with all advanced functions, but you need to be comfortable working with the command line.

Web (for quick testing) 🌐

Claude Code can also be used directly on the web, but without access to local files. However, if you have your data on Google Drive, this might actually be an advantage – you don't need to install anything and can start immediately.

For beginners, I recommend starting with the desktop application.

Installation: Desktop Application

Head to claude.com/download and download the application. Open the installer and complete the installation process. Then launch the application from Applications (Mac) or the Start menu (Windows).

You'll also need to open gitforwindows.org, click Download, and install Git, which Claude Code requires to function.

After launching the app for the first time:

  1. Find the Code tab in the application's sidebar and click it
  2. Install runtime dependencies – the app will prompt you to install required components, click “Install dependencies” and wait for the installation to complete
  3. Sign in with your Claude account – if you don't have one yet or need a subscription, check out the section How Much Does Claude Code Cost? below
  4. Select a project folder using the “Select folder” button
  5. Start working! Describe what you want to create, and Claude will make it happen

The app will ask you to confirm “Trust workspace” when you first access a folder – this is a security feature. Simply approve and continue.

Desktop users can skip the rest of this article – the following sections are only for terminal installation.

Installation: Terminal on macOS and Linux

  • For macOS: Open Terminal (find it in Applications > Utilities, or press Cmd+Space and type “Terminal”)
  • For Linux: Open your preferred terminal (usually Ctrl+Alt+T)
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

This command downloads and runs the installation script. Once it completes, you're all set and can skip ahead to Launching Claude Code from Terminal.

On macOS, you can alternatively use Homebrew:

brew install --cask claude-code

Installation: Terminal on Windows

On Windows, you have two options for running Claude Code in the terminal:

Option 1: PowerShell (quickest start 🚀)

This is the fastest way to get going. Open PowerShell (press Win+X and select “Windows PowerShell” or “Terminal”) and run:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

You'll also need to open gitforwindows.org, click Download, and install Git, which Claude Code requires to function.

That's it! Claude Code is now installed and you can skip to Launching Claude Code from Terminal.

Option 2: WSL (for power users 🔧)

Choose this route if you're already actively using WSL (Linux inside Windows), or if you run into issues or need a tool that requires a Linux environment. (You can always start with PowerShell and switch to WSL later if needed.)

Open your terminal (press Win+X and select “Windows PowerShell” or “Terminal”) and enable WSL with:

wsl --install

This command enables WSL and installs Ubuntu as your default Linux distribution. Once it completes, restart your computer. Then run ubuntu to access the Linux command line.

ubuntu

It will first ask you to create a username and password for Linux. You'll need this password when installing programs (the sudo command), so make sure to remember it.

Now you can install Claude Code in the Ubuntu terminal:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

One of the best features of WSL is that Windows and Linux share the same files. You don't need to copy anything – you're simply working with the same folders from both systems. Your Windows C: drive appears in Linux at /mnt/c/, your D: drive at /mnt/d/, and so on. So for instance, the folder C:\Users\John\Projects is accessible in Linux as /mnt/c/Users/John/Projects. Conversely, in File Explorer you can type \\wsl$ in the address bar to see all your Linux distributions. Your Ubuntu home folder will typically be at \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\your-name.

Launching Claude Code from Terminal

Great, you've successfully installed Claude Code – let's fire it up!

The key is to launch it in the folder where you want to create a new project or work on an existing one. First, you need to navigate to that folder using the cd (change directory) command.

Example for Windows (PowerShell):

cd C:\Users\John\Projects\my-website

Example for Windows (WSL):

cd /mnt/c/Users/John/Projects/my-website

Example for macOS/Linux:

cd ~/projects/my-website

Then launch Claude Code with:

claude
Claude Code after launch

As you can see from the screenshot, Claude Code immediately prompts you to sign in.

How Much Does Claude Code Cost?

There's something important to clarify here, since Claude isn't as well-known in the Czech Republic yet. Claude is a web-based chatbot from Anthropic – similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT. You can chat with it in your browser, ask it anything, get help with writing, and so on. That's the basic Claude.

Claude Code is something different. It's a standalone tool that runs in your terminal or desktop app and works directly with your files. While web-based Claude involves chatting and copying text back and forth, Claude Code actually edits your files, executes commands, and tests whether everything works.

And here's the good news: Claude Code is included with your subscription to web Claude. So when you subscribe to Claude as a chatbot (as an alternative to ChatGPT), you get Claude Code thrown in.

You start with Claude Pro at $20/month, which is perfectly adequate for regular use. Personally, I fell in love with Claude and use it so intensively that I upgraded to Claude Max (starting at $100/month), which offers 5–20× more usage. But Pro is definitely sufficient to get started.

The desktop app will take you to the sign-in page on first launch, just like the terminal version. Sign in or create an account there, choose a plan that suits you, and return to the application.

Authentication

Tip for Nette Developers

If you work with Nette, I have great news. There's a special plugin for Claude Code that gives Claude deep knowledge of the Nette framework.

Instead of generic PHP suggestions, you get recommendations that follow Nette conventions – from presenters and forms to Latte templates and database queries. The plugin includes 10 automated skills covering the main areas of development, plus automatic validation for Latte and NEON files, so you catch errors right away.

Want to master Claude Code? I'm running a course that takes you from the basics to advanced techniques. You'll learn how to get the most out of Claude and avoid common pitfalls. More information and registration

What's Next?

You now have Claude Code ready to go. In upcoming articles, we'll cover:

  • Basic commands and controls in Claude Code
  • Working with existing projects
  • Creating new projects from scratch

Claude Code represents a revolution in how we program. With this tool, you can bring your ideas to life faster than ever before – you just need to know how to use it effectively.