Claude Code is a CLI: an agent that runs in your terminal and has access to your project's files. Before you can use it, you need to get it on your machine. This lesson will walk you through from download to the first claude --version that responds.
Machine prerequisites
You need Node.js 18 or higher. First, check what you have.
If you see command not found or a version lower than 18, install Node from nodejs.org before continuing.
Installing Claude Code
One command, installed globally.
Verifying it responds
First launch
The first time, Claude Code will ask you to authenticate. Follow the on-screen instructions: a link to open in your browser, a code to paste back. Once done, you land in a chat interface.
Sources
Related
Concepts-ponts
Beaucoup d'outils (Claude Code CLI, pnpm, bun, Next.js) supposent Node installé. Ici on enseigne comment, là on l'utilise.
Le même agent vit dans deux surfaces, partage le compte et l'historique. La CLI dans le terminal, l'extension dans la barre latérale de l'IDE.