🔧Setting Up Your Environment

Get your API key and install everything you need

Setting Up Your Environment

Let's get everything installed and ready. By the end of this lesson, you'll be ready to talk to Claude from your computer.

Step 1: Create an Anthropic Account

Go to console.anthropic.com
Click Sign Up
Enter your email and create a password
Verify your email

Step 2: Get Your API Key

After logging in, go to Settings → API Keys
Click Create Key
Give it a name (e.g., "my-learning-key")
Copy the key immediately — you won't see it again!

Important: Your API key looks like sk-ant-api03-... Keep it secret!

Step 3: Install Node.js (for JavaScript/TypeScript)

If you don't have Node.js installed:

Go to nodejs.org
Download the LTS version (Long Term Support)
Run the installer
Verify installation:

Terminal
node --version    # Should show v18+ or higher
npm --version     # Should show 9+ or higher

Step 4: Install Python (Optional)

If you prefer Python:

Go to python.org
Download the latest version
Run the installer (check "Add to PATH"!)
Verify:

Terminal
python --version    # Should show 3.8+
pip --version       # Should work

Step 5: Set Your API Key as an Environment Variable

This keeps your key safe (not in your code):

macOS / Linux:

Terminal
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key-here"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Windows (PowerShell):

PowerShell
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", "your-key-here", "User")

Step 6: Install the SDK

For JavaScript/TypeScript:

Terminal

npm install @anthropic-ai/sdk

For Python:

Terminal

pip install anthropic

Step 7: Verify Everything Works

Create a test file:

JavaScript (test.js):

JavaScript
import Anthropic from "@anthropic-ai/sdk";

const client = new Anthropic();

const message = await client.messages.create({
  model: "claude-sonnet-4-6",
  max_tokens: 100,
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Say hello!" }]
});

console.log(message.content[0].text);

Python (test.py):

Python
import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic()

message = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-6",
    max_tokens=100,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Say hello!"}]
)

print(message.content[0].text)

Run it:

Terminal
node test.js     # JavaScript
python test.py   # Python

If you see Claude's response, congratulations — you're ready!

Next up: We'll dive into making your first real API call and understanding the response.

Module 2

2/6

🌐 How the Internet Works (HTTP Basics)

Your First API Call 📡

2/6