Getting Started with Claude Code: From Local AI to Cloud-Powered Development

Before I ever touched Claude Code, I tried the local route. If you're thinking about AI-assisted development, you've probably considered running a model locally too. Here's what happened when I did - and why I ended up going a different direction.

The Local AI Experiment: Ollama + Qwen

The idea was appealing: run an AI model on my own hardware, no cloud dependency, no API costs, complete privacy. I installed Ollama and pulled the Qwen 3.4B model - a smaller, faster model that should theoretically run fine on consumer hardware.

The reality: It was too slow to be useful.

The response times made it impractical for development work. When you're in the middle of writing code and you need to ask "how does this Next.js API work?" or "refactor this function," waiting 30+ seconds for each response kills your flow. And the smaller model meant the answers weren't always accurate enough for production code - I'd spend more time verifying the output than I saved by using AI in the first place.

There are absolutely valid use cases for local models. Privacy-sensitive work, offline environments, or if you have serious GPU hardware. But for day-to-day development on a normal workstation? The cloud models are just better right now.

Setting Up an Anthropic Account

After the Ollama experiment, I decided to try Anthropic's Claude directly. The setup is straightforward:

Go to console.anthropic.com and create an account
Add a payment method (API usage is pay-as-you-go)
Generate an API key

The pricing is reasonable for individual use. Sonnet 4.5 handles most development tasks well, and you only pay for what you use. No monthly subscription required.

Installing VS Code

If you don't already have a code editor, VS Code is the standard choice for web development:

Download from code.visualstudio.com
Run the installer - accept defaults
Open it and install a few essential extensions:
- ESLint - catches JavaScript/TypeScript errors
- Tailwind CSS IntelliSense - autocomplete for Tailwind classes
- Prettier - auto-formats your code on save

VS Code has a built-in terminal (Ctrl+`), which is where you'll run Claude Code. You can see your file tree, edit code, and interact with Claude all in one window.

Installing Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's command-line tool that gives Claude direct access to your project - it can read files, write code, run commands, and manage your codebase. It's not a chatbot with copy-paste snippets. It's more like pair programming with an AI that has context about your entire project.

Prerequisites

You need Node.js installed first. Check with:

node --version  # Should be 18+
npm --version   # Comes with Node.js

If Node.js isn't installed, download it from nodejs.org.

Windows gotcha: After installing Node.js, you might need to restart your terminal (or VS Code) for the PATH changes to take effect. If node --version still doesn't work, try opening a brand new terminal window.

Install Claude Code

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

This installs the claude command globally. Verify it worked:

claude --version

First Launch

Navigate to your project directory and run:

claude

The first time, it'll ask you to authenticate with your Anthropic account. Follow the prompts - it opens a browser window for authentication. Once authenticated, you're in.

What Claude Code Actually Does

Here's what surprised me coming from the Ollama experiment: Claude Code doesn't just answer questions. It operates on your codebase.

When you start a session, Claude Code indexes your project. It knows your file structure, your dependencies, your configuration. When you ask it to do something, it:

Reads the relevant files to understand context
Plans what needs to change (and often tells you before doing it)
Writes the code - creating new files or editing existing ones
Runs commands if needed (npm install, git operations, build verification)

The key difference from a chatbot: you don't copy-paste code snippets. Claude Code writes directly to your files. You review the changes, approve or reject them, and iterate.

My First Real Test

I asked Claude Code to build a website. Not a hello-world - a real production site with multiple pages, a blog system, responsive design, and SEO metadata. I described what I wanted in plain English:

"Build a personal tech blog and portfolio site. Dark theme with a cyan accent. Next.js with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui. MDX for blog posts. Pages for about, services, portfolio, and contact."

In one session, it:

Scaffolded a Next.js 15 project
Set up shadcn/ui with the right components
Built 7 pages with responsive layouts
Created an MDX-based blog system
Configured dark mode with a custom color palette
Added SEO metadata and Open Graph tags
Got the production build to pass with zero errors

That's the site you're reading right now.

Lessons Learned

1. Be specific about what you want

"Make it look good" gives you generic results. "Dark background, cyan accent color, generous whitespace, Geist fonts, glassmorphism nav with backdrop blur" gives you exactly what you pictured.

2. Review everything

AI-generated code works, but you need to understand it. Read every file. Ask "why did you do it this way?" if something looks unfamiliar. The learning happens in the review, not the generation.

3. The iteration speed is the real value

The first draft is rarely perfect. But going from "add a mobile hamburger menu" to done takes seconds, not an hour. The fast feedback loop is where Claude Code shines compared to coding alone.

4. Local models aren't there yet (for most people)

If you have a 4090 or better, local models might work for you. For the rest of us, the cloud models are dramatically faster and more capable. The cost is minimal for individual use.

5. Don't fight the tooling

I initially tried to build custom infrastructure around Claude Code (a Rust binary to intercept conversations - it didn't work). Then I discovered Claude Code has a built-in hooks system for exactly that kind of automation. Use the platform's extension points instead of building around them. I cover the full hooks setup in Configuring Claude Code.

What's Next

If you're just getting started with Claude Code, my recommendation:

Install it and authenticate
Start with a small project - something you'd normally build yourself
Describe what you want in detail, then watch what Claude Code does
Review every change, ask questions, iterate
Once you're comfortable, explore the configuration system: rules, hooks, MCP servers, and plugins

I've documented my entire Claude Code configuration journey in a separate post if you want to go deeper.

This post is part of a series about AI-assisted development. Previous: Building This Site with Claude Code. Next up: Configuring Claude Code - rules, hooks, MCP servers, and the plugin ecosystem.