Your First Meeting with Claude Code

Working Code

Open your terminal and install Claude Code:

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

Once installed, run it from any project directory:

cd ~/my-project
claude

When Claude Code starts, try typing this:

> Explain the structure of this project

Claude analyzes the files and directories in your project and gives you a summary.

Try It Yourself

Now try a different request:

> Tell me what dependencies are in package.json

If you don't have a project, you can start from an empty directory:

mkdir claude-test && cd claude-test
claude

> Create a hello.js file that prints "Hello, Claude Code!"

When Claude suggests creating the file, press y to approve. You'll see the file has been created.

"Why?" — What Kind of Tool Is Claude Code?

Claude Code is an AI coding agent that runs in the terminal. Instead of copying and pasting code into a chat window, it reads, modifies, and runs commands directly inside your project.

How it compares to other AI coding tools:

| Tool | Approach | | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ChatGPT / Claude.ai | Copy and paste code | | GitHub Copilot | Autocomplete inside the editor | | Claude Code | Understands your entire project and works directly in the terminal |

Claude Code grasps your entire codebase. Because it understands the full project context — not just a single file — it can handle changes across multiple files in one go.

Deep Dive

node --version