Getting Started with Claude Code: Your First Project

Claude Code is a command-line tool that lets you build real software by describing what you want in plain English. It's not a chatbot — it's a coding partner that reads your files, writes code, runs commands, and ships projects.

If you've never written a line of code, that's fine. This guide starts from absolute zero.

What you'll need

- A computer (Mac, Windows, or Linux) - A Claude Pro subscription ($20/month) - Node.js installed (free, takes 2 minutes) - A terminal (every computer has one built in)

Open your terminal and run:

Step 1: Install Claude Code

Open your terminal and run:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

That's it. Claude Code is now installed on your machine.

Step 2: Start your first project

Create a folder for your project and navigate to it:

mkdir my-first-project
cd my-first-project

Now start Claude Code:

claude

You'll see a prompt. This is where you talk to Claude.

Step 3: Build something

Type this:

"Create a personal landing page with my name, a short bio, and links to my social media. Make it look professional with a dark theme."

Claude will: 1. Create the HTML file 2. Add CSS styling 3. Structure the content 4. Show you what it built

That's your first project. A real website, built from a single sentence.

Step 4: Make it yours

Now tell Claude what to change:

"Change the color scheme to navy and gold. Add a section for my recent projects. Make it responsive for mobile."

Claude reads the existing code, understands the context, and makes the changes. No copy-pasting. No searching Stack Overflow. Just describe what you want.

The CLAUDE.md file

Here's the secret weapon. Create a file called CLAUDE.md in your project folder. This file tells Claude about your project — the tech stack, your preferences, coding standards, anything it should know.

Claude reads this file automatically every time you start a session. It's like giving a new employee a complete onboarding document.

What can you build?

With Claude Code, non-developers have built: - Landing pages and marketing sites - Full web applications with databases - Chrome extensions - Automation scripts - API integrations - Mobile-responsive dashboards

The ceiling isn't your coding ability — it's your ability to describe what you want clearly.

Next steps

The Claude Quickstart course at Clauni walks you through all of this with video, hands-on exercises, and real projects. It's free and takes 30 minutes.

For the complete deep-dive — building real apps, deploying to the internet, working with databases — check out our Master Claude Code from Zero course.