get-started

get-started First recorded · 679 lines, first recorded

## Prerequisites ## Call the API ## Next steps

The first capture of this source. The page was already there, and this is what it said.

---
title: Get started with Claude
url: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/get-started
description: Make your first API call to Claude and build a simple web search assistant.
---

## Prerequisites

* A [Claude Console account](https://platform.claude.com)
* An [API key](https://platform.claude.com/settings/keys)

## Call the API

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="cURL">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Set your API key">
        Export your API key as an environment variable. The cURL command below reads it from `$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`.

        ```bash
        export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Make your first API call">
        Send a `POST` request to the Messages API:

        ```bash cURL
        curl https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages \
          -H "content-type: application/json" \
          -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
          -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
          -d '{
            "model": "claude-opus-5",
            "max_tokens": 1000,
            "messages": [
              {
                "role": "user",
                "content": "What should I search for to find the latest developments in renewable energy?"
              }
            ]
          }'
        ```

        Claude returns a JSON response containing the assistant's message:

        ```json Output
        {
          "model": "claude-opus-5",
          "id": "msg_013mHbppMPd2PrVJzGMZPt2D",
          "type": "message",
          "role": "assistant",
          "content": [
            {
              "type": "text",
              "text": "Here are some effective search strategies to find the latest developments in renewable energy:\n\n## General Search Terms\n- \"Renewable energy news 2025\"\n- ..."
            }
          ],
          "stop_reason": "end_turn",
          "stop_sequence": null,
          "stop_details": null,
          "usage": {
            "input_tokens": 21,
            "output_tokens": 305
          }
        }
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Install the CLI">
        Install the Anthropic CLI with Homebrew:

        ```bash
        brew install anthropics/tap/ant
        ```

        For other installation methods, see [Installation](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/cli-sdks-libraries/cli/quickstart#installation) in the CLI quickstart.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Authenticate">
        Log in with your Anthropic account:

        ```bash
        ant auth login
        ```

        This opens a browser-based OAuth flow. After authorizing, confirm your credential with:

        ```bash
        ant auth status
        ```

        On a remote host without a browser, pass `--no-browser` to get a URL you can open on another device, then paste the returned code back into the terminal. If `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is set in your environment, it takes precedence over the login credentials. For non-interactive environments such as CI, see [CLI authentication options](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/cli-sdks-libraries/cli/authentication).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Make your first API call">
        Run `ant messages create` from your terminal:

        ```bash CLI
        ant messages create \
          --model claude-opus-5 \
          --max-tokens 1000 \
          --message '{
            role: user,
            content: "What should I search for to find the latest developments in renewable energy?"
          }'
        ```

        The CLI prints the JSON response:

        ```json Output
        {
          "model": "claude-opus-5",
          "id": "msg_01N1ycuCkM5Mzd7WhTU4fwST",
          "type": "message",
          "role": "assistant",
          "content": [
            {
              "type": "text",
              "text": "Here are some effective search strategies to find the latest developments in renewable energy:\n\n## General Search Terms\n- \"Renewable energy news 2025\"\n- ..."
            }
          ],
          "stop_reason": "end_turn",
          "stop_sequence": null,
          "stop_details": null,
          "usage": { "input_tokens": 21, "output_tokens": 305 }
        }
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Python">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Set your API key">
        Export your API key as an environment variable. The SDK reads `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` automatically.

        ```bash
        export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create a project and install the SDK">
        ```bash
        mkdir claude-quickstart && cd claude-quickstart
        python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
        pip install anthropic
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create your code">
        Create a file called `quickstart.py`:

        ```python Python
        import anthropic

        client = anthropic.Anthropic()

        message = client.messages.create(
            model="claude-opus-5",
            max_tokens=1000,
            messages=[
                {
                    "role": "user",
                    "content": "What should I search for to find the latest developments in renewable energy?",
                }
            ],
        )

        for block in message.content:
            if block.type == "text":
                print(block.text)
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Run your code">
        ```bash
        python quickstart.py
        ```

        ```text Output wrap
        Here are some effective search strategies to find the latest developments in renewable energy:

        ## General Search Terms
        - "Renewable energy news 2025"
        - ...
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="TypeScript">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Set your API key">
        Export your API key as an environment variable. The SDK reads `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` automatically.

        ```bash
        export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create a project and install the SDK">
        ```bash
        mkdir claude-quickstart && cd claude-quickstart
        npm init -y
        npm pkg set type=module
        npm install @anthropic-ai/sdk
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create your code">
        Create a file called `quickstart.ts`:

        ```typescript TypeScript
        import Anthropic from "@anthropic-ai/sdk";

        const client = new Anthropic();

        const message = await client.messages.create({
          model: "claude-opus-5",
          max_tokens: 1000,
          messages: [
            {
              role: "user",
              content: "What should I search for to find the latest developments in renewable energy?"
            }
          ]
        });

        for (const block of message.content) {
          if (block.type === "text") {
            console.log(block.text);
          }
        }
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Run your code">
        ```bash
        npx tsx quickstart.ts
        ```

        ```text Output wrap
        Here are some effective search strategies to find the latest developments in renewable energy:

        ## General Search Terms
        - "Renewable energy news 2025"
        - ...
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="C#">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Set your API key">
        Export your API key as an environment variable. The SDK reads `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` automatically.

        ```bash
        export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create a project and install the SDK">
        Create a new console project and add the Anthropic package:

        ```bash
        dotnet new console -n ClaudeQuickstart
        cd ClaudeQuickstart
        dotnet add package Anthropic
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create your code">
        Replace the contents of `Program.cs`:

        ```csharp C#
        using Anthropic;
        using Anthropic.Models.Messages;

        var client = new AnthropicClient();

        var message = await client.Messages.Create(new MessageCreateParams
        {
            Model = Model.ClaudeOpus5,
            MaxTokens = 1000,
            Messages =
            [
                new()
                {
                    Role = Role.User,
                    Content = "What should I search for to find the latest developments in renewable energy?",
                },
            ],
        });

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