---¶
title: Intro to Claude¶
url: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/intro¶
description: 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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<Note>¶
Looking to chat with Claude? Visit [claude.ai](https://claude.ai).¶
</Note>¶
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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 |¶
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To learn more about each, see [Using the Messages API](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/working-with-messages) and the [Claude Managed Agents overview](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/managed-agents/overview).¶
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## Explore the latest generation of Claude models¶
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If you're unsure which model to use, start with [Claude Opus 5.5](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/opus-5-5/overview) for most workloads. Use [Claude Fable 5.1](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/fable-5-1/overview) for demanding reasoning and long-horizon agentic work, or when your evals on Claude Opus 5.5 at higher effort still fall short. All current models support text and image input, text output, multilingual capabilities, vision, and tool use. Each model's page lists the platforms it's available on.¶
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* [Claude Fable 5.1](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/fable-5-1/overview) (`claude-fable-5-1`) — New — *For demanding reasoning and long-horizon agentic work* — Most capable · Research · Multi-day tasks¶
* [Claude Opus 5.5](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/opus-5-5/overview) (`claude-opus-5-5`) — New — *For long-running agentic coding and knowledge work* — Complex projects · Agents · Coding¶
* [Claude Sonnet 5.5](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/sonnet-5-5/overview) (`claude-sonnet-5`)-5`) — New — *The best combination of speed and intelligence* — Everyday tasks · Writing · Cost-efficient¶
* [Claude Haiku 4.5](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/haiku-4-5/overview) (`claude-haiku-4-5`) — *The fastest model with near-frontier intelligence* — Fastest · Lowest cost · High volume¶
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[Compare models](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/overview)¶
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***¶
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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](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/get-started)¶
</Step>¶
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<Step title="Secure your credentials">¶
Set an expiration when you create your API key. Keep the key out of source control, client-side code, and prompts. Check whether your workload can use Workload Identity Federation instead of a static key.¶
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[Read the authentication guide](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/manage-claude/authentication)¶
</Step>¶
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<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](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/working-with-messages)¶
</Step>¶
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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](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/models/overview)¶
</Step>¶
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<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](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/overview)¶
</Step>¶
</Steps>¶
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***¶
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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="https://platform.claude.com/">¶
Explore and understand the API in your browser with playground.¶
</Card>¶
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<Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/overview">¶
Explore the full Claude API and client SDK documentation.¶
</Card>¶
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<Card title="Claude Cookbook" icon="chef-hat" href="https://platform.claude.com/cookbook">¶
Learn with interactive Jupyter notebooks covering PDFs, embeddings, and more.¶
</Card>¶
</CardGroup>¶
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***¶
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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="https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/overview">¶
Summarize text, answer questions, extract data, translate text, and explain and generate code.¶
</Card>¶
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<Card title="Vision" icon="image" href="https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/vision">¶
Process and analyze visual input and generate text and code from images.¶
</Card>¶
</CardGroup>¶
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***¶
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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.¶
</Card>¶
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<Card title="Service Status" icon="chart" href="https://status.claude.com">¶
Check the status of Anthropic services.¶
</Card>¶
</CardGroup>¶