Getting Started: Install & Auth

Five minutes from now you'll be running Claude Code on your machine. In 30 minutes you'll have it editing your own codebase. This lesson covers install, auth tiers, and the three setup failures that cause most first-week friction.

Learning Objectives

After this lesson, you will be able to:

Install Claude Code on macOS, Windows, or Linux via the right method (homebrew, winget, npm) for your environment
Authenticate with the right tier — Claude Pro, Max, API key, or enterprise (Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry) — based on your usage pattern
Verify your install with the canonical first-run check and resolve the 3 most common auth failures
Configure shell integration so `claude` works as a first-class command from your terminal

What Do You Think?

A teammate runs claude --version after a fresh install and sees command not found. What is most likely wrong?

Platform	Command
macOS (Homebrew)	`brew install --cask claude-code`
macOS (DMG installer)	Download from claude.com/code
Windows (winget)	`winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode`
Windows (PowerShell)	Built-in PowerShell tool — no Git dependency required (v2.1.108+)
Linux (.deb / .rpm)	Download package from claude.com/code
Cross-platform (npm)	`npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code`

Auth Type	Use For	Pros	Cons
Claude Pro ($20/mo)	Hobbyists, light daily use	Simple, no token math	Rate-limited at heavy usage
Claude Max ($100/mo)	Heavy individual use	5x rate limit of Pro	Pricey if you don't use it daily
API Key (pay-as-you-go)	Variable workloads	Full flexibility, charges per token	Need to monitor cost
Enterprise (Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry)	Companies, regulated industries	Compliance, audit logs, data residency	Setup overhead

Pattern	Best Tier
5-10 sessions/day, mostly small tasks	Pro ($20/mo)
Heavy daily use, 50+ sessions/day	Max ($100/mo)
Bursty: 200 queries one day, zero for weeks	API key
Enterprise (compliance, audit, data residency)	Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry
CI/CD automation	API key

Getting Started: Install & Auth

After this lesson, you will be able to:

Installation

Your Reflection

Continue Learning

Discussion

#Authentication

#First-Run Smoke Test

#Common Auth Failures

#Shell Integration

#Picking Your Tier

Deep Dive

#Key Takeaways

#Quick Check