# Intro to Claude¶
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Claude is a highly performant, trustworthy, and intelligent AI platform built by Anthropic. Claude excels at tasks involving language, reasoning, analysis, coding, and more.¶
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<Tip>¶
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The latest generation of Claude models:¶
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**Claude Opus 4.8** - Anthropic's most capable model for complex reasoning and agentic coding. Read the [Claude Opus 4.8 announcement](https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-opus-4-8).¶
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**Claude Sonnet 4.6** - Frontier intelligence at scale, built for coding, agents, and enterprise workflows. Read the [Claude Sonnet 4.6 announcement](https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-sonnet-4-6).¶
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**Claude Haiku 4.5** - Fastest model with near-frontier intelligence. Read the [Claude Haiku 4.5 announcement](https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-haiku-4-5).¶
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</Tip>¶
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<Note>¶
Looking to chat with Claude? Visit [claude.ai](https://www.claude.ai).¶
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Anthropic offers two ways to build with Claude, each suited to different use cases:¶
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| | Messages API | Claude Managed Agents |¶
|---|---|---|¶
| **What it is** | Direct model prompting access | Pre-built, configurable agent harness that runs in managed infrastructure |¶
| **Best for** | Custom agent loops and fine-grained control | Long-running tasks and asynchronous work |¶
| **Learn more** | [Messages API docs](/docs/en/build-with-claude/working-with-messages) | [Claude Managed Agents docs](/docs/en/managed-agents/overview) |¶
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## Recommended path for new developers¶
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Follow these steps to go from zero to a working Claude integration.¶
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<Steps>¶
<Step title="Make your first API call">¶
Set up your environment, install an SDK, and send your first message to Claude.¶
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[Go to the quickstart](/docs/en/get-started)¶
</Step>¶
<Step title="Understand the Messages API">¶
Learn the core request and response structure, including multi-turn conversations, system prompts, and stop reasons.¶
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[Read the Messages API guide](/docs/en/build-with-claude/working-with-messages)¶
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<Step title="Choose the right model">¶
Compare Claude models by capability and cost to pick the best fit for your use case.¶
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[See the models overview](/docs/en/about-claude/models/overview)¶
</Step>¶
<Step title="Explore features and tools">¶
Discover what Claude can do: extended thinking, web search, file handling, structured outputs, and more.¶
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[Browse the features overview](/docs/en/build-with-claude/overview)¶
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</Steps>¶
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## Develop with Claude¶
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Anthropic provides developer tools to help you build and scale applications with Claude.¶
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<CardGroup cols={3}>¶
<Card title="Developer Console" icon="computer" href="/">¶
Prototype and test prompts in your browser with the Workbench and prompt generator.¶
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<Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/docs/en/api/overview">¶
Explore the full Claude API and client SDK documentation.¶
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<Card title="Claude Cookbook" icon="chef-hat" href="https://platform.claude.com/cookbooks">¶
Learn with interactive Jupyter notebooks covering PDFs, embeddings, and more.¶
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## Key capabilities¶
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Claude can assist with many tasks that involve text, code, and images.¶
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<CardGroup cols={2}>¶
<Card title="Text and code generation" icon="text-aa" href="/docs/en/build-with-claude/overview">¶
Summarize text, answer questions, extract data, translate text, and explain and generate code.¶
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<Card title="Vision" icon="image" href="/docs/en/build-with-claude/vision">¶
Process and analyze visual input and generate text and code from images.¶
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## Support¶
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<CardGroup cols={2}>¶
<Card title="Help Center" icon="help" href="https://support.claude.com/en/">¶
Find answers to frequently asked account and billing questions.¶
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<Card title="Service Status" icon="chart" href="https://status.claude.com">¶
Check the status of Anthropic services.¶
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