Get Started with Claude — 5-Step Path
Zero to shipping in 5 steps. New developers waste hours figuring out which Anthropic product to use (claude.ai vs Pro vs API). This page is the shortest path from "I've never used Claude" to "I'm running it in production." Each step links to deeper guides. Total time investment: ~2 hours over a few days.
Try Claude free in your browser
Go to claude.ai and chat with Claude. Free tier has daily message limits but is great for testing if Claude is right for your use case. No credit card needed.
If you hit free tier limits, get Pro ($20/month)
Claude Pro removes most daily limits, gives priority access during peak times, and unlocks Claude in Projects (file uploads, custom instructions). Skip this step if you only need API access.
Get $5 free Claude API credit
Sign up at console.anthropic.com to get $5 free API credit — enough for ~6,000 short Haiku 4.5 calls or ~50 Sonnet 4.5 conversations. This is for programmatic access (separate from claude.ai).
Build your first thing
Pick a project that matches your stack: a CLI tool with Claude Code, a Python script with the API, an agent with the SDK. The path depends on whether you're scripting, building a product, or just exploring.
Optimize cost (when you're spending real money)
Once you're spending $50+/month on Claude API, the optimization patterns become high-leverage. Most teams cut 60-90% of bill applying just 3 of the 10 fixes below — see verified case studies for proof.
Common detours (when to skip steps)
You're a developer who only wants API access
Skip steps 1 and 2. Go directly to step 3 (Anthropic Console). claude.ai web app and the API are independent products.
You've already used ChatGPT/GPT-4o and just want comparison
Read Claude vs Alternatives FAQ and 5 case studies. Then start at step 3.
You're building agents (multi-step reasoning + tools)
Skip step 4's general guide and go to Agent SDK Guide. Get familiar with production patterns before you scale.
You're running enterprise with AWS / GCP
Step 3 might be Bedrock or Vertex AI instead of Direct API. Direct API is typically 10-15% cheaper but Bedrock integrates with AWS billing and IAM.
You're a Korean developer
All steps have Korean guides. Start: Claude API intro (KO) → Build a chatbot (KO) → Cost monitoring (KO).
What you'll have at the end of this path
- ✅ Anthropic account with API key
- ✅ First working Claude integration (CLI, script, or agent)
- ✅ Understanding of which model (Haiku/Sonnet/Opus) for which task
- ✅ Cost monitoring + optimization patterns applied
- ✅ Bookmarked references for the 90% of questions that come up later