Claude Code can be accessed through three main interfaces: a Command Line Interface (CLI) for terminal-heavy workflows and automation, an editor code extension (e.g VS Code, JetBrains IDEs) that offers a graphical sidebar with inline code diffs, and a standalone Desktop Application for managing complex projects in a dedicated environment. While the CLI is highly composable and scriptable, the editor extensions integrate directly with your editor’s file explorer, and the Desktop App provides a user-friendly entry point with visual session management. Each method utilizes the same agentic engine to research, write, and execute code, allowing you to choose the interface that best fits your specific development style.
macOS, Linux, WSL: curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Windows PowerShell: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
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