What this guide assumes. You can install software on your own machine, follow instructions typed into a terminal, and work through a snag by asking Claude Code or another AI assistant. It does not teach the terminal from zero; section 2 points to where to start if you need that first. You also need a Claude plan that includes Claude Code (Pro or higher).
1. Create your accounts
You need two accounts before anything else:
Claude account: claude.ai. Create your account here if you don't have one. You'll need a Pro plan or higher to use Claude Code.
GitHub account: github.com. Free tier is all you need. This is where your project code lives.
2. Terminal
The terminal is your command line, a text-based interface where you type commands and see results. Everything on this platform runs through it: code, tools, deployments, and Claude Code itself.
All commands and examples on this platform assume a Linux/Unix terminal. This is the standard development environment in the industry. macOS and Linux work out of the box. Windows users need one extra step (WSL) to get the same environment.
If you've used a terminal before, skip to the verify step at the bottom of this section.
Linux. Your distribution includes a terminal. On Ubuntu, press Ctrl+Alt+T or search for "Terminal." Commands on this platform will work as written.
macOS. Open Terminal (search with Cmd+Space) or use iTerm2. macOS is Unix-based, so commands on this platform will work as written.
Windows. You'll need Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which gives you a full Linux terminal inside Windows. Once it's set up, everything works the same as Linux or macOS. Follow Microsoft's WSL installation guide to get started. When the platform says "open your terminal," it means the WSL/Ubuntu terminal, not PowerShell.
New to the terminal? MDN's command line crash course is a good starting point. The commands you need immediately: cd (change directory), ls (list files), mkdir (make a directory), pwd (show where you are). You'll pick up the rest as you work.
If a command or example doesn't work on your specific setup, use Claude Code or any AI assistant to help you adapt it. The concepts are the same across platforms, though occasionally the syntax differs.
Verify
echo "Terminal is working"
3. Claude Code
Claude Code is an AI coding agent that runs in your terminal. You give it instructions in plain English, and it writes code, runs commands, manages files, and interacts with tools on your machine. A new session starts in auto mode (the status bar shows ⏵⏵ auto mode on): routine actions go ahead without asking, while a second model reviews its actions and blocks risky ones, such as anything that goes beyond what you asked for. Press Shift+Tab (in the VS Code extension, click the mode indicator under the prompt box) to switch to Manual mode (⏸ manual mode on), where it stops and asks before most file edits and commands, or start a session that way with claude --permission-mode manual. Either way the job is the same: you direct, it works, you check what it did. In auto mode more of that checking happens after the fact, so read what it reports doing.
Install: Follow the Claude Code installation guide for your operating system.
First run: Open your terminal, type claude, and press enter. The first time, it will open your browser to authorize with your Claude account. Follow the prompts. Once authorized, you won't need to do this again.
Verify
claude --version
You should see a version number.
4. Git and GitHub
Open Claude Code and ask it to set up Git and connect your GitHub account:
claude
Install Git if it's not already installed, configure it with my name and email
(ask me for these), and connect to my GitHub account.
Claude Code will install Git if needed, ask for your details, and walk you through GitHub authorization, a browser prompt similar to the Claude one you just did.
Projects also use the GitHub CLI (gh) to create repositories from the terminal. Install it from cli.github.com (brew install gh on macOS; on Linux and WSL, follow the install steps for your distribution on that page), then sign in:
gh auth login
Choose GitHub.com, HTTPS, and Login with a web browser. Say yes when it offers to authenticate Git with your GitHub credentials, then paste the one-time code into the browser tab it opens.
Verify
git --version
gh auth status
You should see a Git version number, and gh auth status should report Logged in to github.com.
5. Project folder
Before starting any track, create a folder for your work. Claude Code works within the folder you open it in. If you open it in your home directory, it sees everything. Open it in a project folder, and it's focused on that project.
mkdir -p ~/dev
Each track will have its own subfolder inside ~/dev. Your track's setup page will tell you what to name it.
Not sure what a command does? When Claude Code runs a command you don't recognize, or asks for permission to run one, ask it: "what does this command do?" Part of directing AI well is understanding what you're authorizing.
Done
You have a terminal, Claude Code, Git, the GitHub CLI, and a GitHub account. That's the shared foundation.
Now head to the homepage and pick a course.