Where Claude Code Lives: Your 5 Options

Claude Code is not one single app. It runs in five different places and each one feels slightly different.

You do not need to use all five. In fact, for this entire course we will use just one: the Desktop App. But you should know all five exist so you can choose the right one as you grow.

Option 1: The Desktop App (Best for Beginners)

A proper application you download and install on your computer, just like Zoom or Spotify. It has a graphical interface with buttons, panels, a file tree, and a conversation window. No terminal required.

Best for everyone in this course. Non-developers, beginners, people who have never touched a terminal in their life.

How to get it: download from claude.com/download. We cover the exact steps in the next lesson.

Option 2: The Terminal (Most Powerful)

A text-based interface you access through your computer's terminal or command prompt. You type "claude" and press Enter, and Claude Code opens as a text interface inside the terminal window.

Best for people who are already comfortable in a terminal, or who want maximum control and speed once they know what they are doing.

What it looks like: a black screen with text. You type your prompt and press Enter. No buttons, no panels. Just you and Claude in a text conversation that can also run any command on your computer.

We cover terminal installation as a separate lesson. You do not need this to get started.

Option 3: VS Code Extension

If you use Visual Studio Code as your code editor, Claude Code is available as a built-in extension. It appears as a panel inside VS Code and Claude's edits appear directly inline in your files.

Best for people who already use VS Code and want Claude Code integrated into their existing coding environment.

How to get it: install from the VS Code Extensions marketplace. Search "Claude Code" by Anthropic.

Option 4: JetBrains Plugin

Same concept as the VS Code extension but for JetBrains IDEs including IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, and GoLand.

Best for developers already working inside JetBrains tools.

Option 5: The Web (claude.ai)

Claude Code is available directly in your browser at claude.ai. You can start a Claude Code session without installing anything.

Best for trying it out quickly or if you are on a computer where you cannot install software.

Note: some features available in the Desktop App or Terminal are not available in the browser version.

Which one should you use?

For this course: the Desktop App.

It is the most accessible, the most visual, and the easiest to understand when you are just starting out. Once you have built your first ten projects and feel comfortable, you can explore the terminal version for more speed and control.

The simple rule: if you have never used a terminal before, use the Desktop App. If you are already comfortable in a terminal, try the terminal version after you finish this course.

Everything works across all versions

Your CLAUDE.md memory files, your project settings, and your MCP connections all work whether you are in the Desktop App, the terminal, or VS Code. You are not locked into one interface.

Your action right now

Decide which interface you will use. For most people reading this, the answer is the Desktop App.

Move to the next lesson. We are installing it right now.