What is the Claude Code?
Why is everyone talking so much about Claude Code?
It's everywhere—on LinkedIn , in product podcasts , and in Slack communities. And it's not just developers; product managers, writers, researchers, and consultants are talking about it too.
Today, we'll talk about what Claude Code is, how it differs from other uses of Claude, and look at a specific example so you can decide if it's right for you.
Let's start with this overview video and then delve deeper into the article below:
What is the Claude Code?
Claude Code is a version of Claude that you run from within the terminal (a command-line application on both Mac and Windows).
If you're unfamiliar with command-line applications, they allow you to browse and manipulate files through a text-based interface. They take some getting used to, as you have to learn the specific commands allowed, but they let you do things that are impossible in a graphical file and directory system.
When you run Claude inside a command-line application (via Claude Code), Claude can also browse and manipulate files in the same way you can.
It sounds simple, but it's actually a pretty powerful tool.
How is Claude Code different?
Let's say you need to research five competitors and create a competitive landscape analysis. You have a list of competitor names, but beyond that, you'll be starting from scratch. You need to analyze their positioning, features, and pricing, and then compare them to your product.
Let's see how you can complete this task. You can start at Claude.ai and enter your request into a new chat. Or you can choose to set up a new project at Claude.ai. You can use the Claude desktop application or use Claude Code.
Each of these access points has its own unique features and functionalities. They differ in how they allow you to create memory or context for Claude, how you access your own files, how you can create personalized shortcuts, and most importantly, the ability to move your data.
Comparison table
| Features | Claude.ai | Claude Projects (at Claude.ai) | Claude Desktop application | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access via | Browser tab | Browser tab | Desktop applications | Terminal/File System |
| Memory/Context | Search for past conversations | Project context (general guidelines and uploaded files) | Project context (general guidelines and uploaded files) | All your files can function as memory/context. |
| Accessing computer files | Upload files manually | Upload files manually | Upload files manually or via MCP (configuration required). | Yes, automatic |
| Personalized Shortcuts | Agent Skills | Project Guide, Agent Skills | Prompt saved, Agent Skills | Command /, custom agent, hook, and Agent Skills |
| Special features | No - Conversations are archived at Anthropic | No - Projects are hosted at Anthropic | No - Conversations and projects are archived at Anthropic | Absolutely - All memory, context, and shortcuts are stored locally on your computer. |
A few quick notes on Agent Skills
Anthropic has launched Agent Skills and announced that they will be available across all platforms (e.g., browser, Projects, desktop applications, and Claude Code).
So what is a Skill? It's a stored set of instructions, context files, and scripts (i.e., defining code). You can think of it as a more powerful Project, because in addition to the instructions and shared files, you can also define certain code-based actions.
Skills have the potential to bring some of Claude Code's benefits to other access points when it comes to personalized shortcuts. For example, you could create a competitive analytics Skill that Claude can call from the web, Projects, desktop applications, or Claude Code.
Skills guidelines can tell Claude how you want it to perform the competitive analysis. Context files might include lists of competitors, pricing information, and features.
But it's unclear whether a Skill can add to its own context files. So when adding a competitor, do you still have to copy and paste the results into a document and then add that document to your Skill? We don't know yet.
There's another important difference. Skills are similar to tools. The agent (i.e., Claude) decides when to use them. This is different from slash commands, where you decide when to use them. It's also unclear whether Skills can be run in parallel like agents. With an agent, you can have Claude analyze multiple companies at once. We don't yet know if Skills will work in a similar way.
We'll have to wait and see how Skills perform in practice as they become more widely used across different access points. Currently, it seems they can help create some useful shortcuts, but haven't yet achieved the full power of combining slash, agent, and hook commands in Claude Code.
