Claude Code is a coding agent from Anthropic. It reads your project, edits files, runs tests and commands, and you review the changes and approve them. One command installs it in a couple of minutes. The program is free, and you pay for access to the model, either by subscription or by tokens. Direct sign-in is closed from Russia, but through an API gateway paid in rubles Claude Code works without a VPN.
What Claude Code is and how it differs from a chat
Claude Code is a program, not a neural network. The neural network here is a Claude model (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku or Fable), and Claude Code gives it hands: access to files, the terminal and git. A search like "Claude Code neural network" is better read as "an agent built on Claude".
According to Anthropic's documentation, it runs in several places: in the terminal, in the VS Code and JetBrains extensions, in the desktop app, in the browser at claude.ai/code, and in Slack and CI. Settings, CLAUDE.md files and MCP servers are shared across all of them.
How does it differ from an ordinary chat? In a chat you copy code back and forth. The agent finds the right files itself, edits the project directly and shows a diff. For work with documents rather than code, Anthropic has a separate Cowork mode, covered in our article Claude Cowork.
How to install Claude Code from scratch
Requirements from the Anthropic documentation: macOS 13 or newer, Windows 10 version 1809 and above, Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+, 4 GB of RAM. The main method does not need Node.js.
Step 1. Open a terminal
On macOS that is the Terminal app, on Windows PowerShell. Go to your project folder: cd path/to/project. If a terminal is new to you, Anthropic has a beginner's guide.
Step 2. Run the install command
On macOS, Linux and WSL:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
In Windows PowerShell (the prompt starts with PS C:\):
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
In Windows CMD:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd
Package managers work too: brew install --cask claude-code for Homebrew and winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode for WinGet. They cannot update the program on their own.
Do not be alarmed by the silence: the installer shows no progress. When it finishes, open a new terminal window and check the version:
claude --version
If the command prints a version number, the install went through. On Windows it is advised to add Git for Windows, but the agent works without it. Sometimes a web page with the text "App unavailable in region" comes back instead of the installer. In its beginner's guide Anthropic explains it this way: Claude Code is not available in your country. The fallback is then npm: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code. The package sits in the public registry, and Node.js 22 or newer is recommended. How to check authenticity and what to do about common install errors is covered in download Claude Code: official install.
The search "download Claude Code" can also mean the app. The Claude desktop app with the Code tab is downloaded from Anthropic's download page, but it needs a paid subscription. The Linux version is still in beta.
Step 3. Start your first session
cd path/to/project
claude
On the first run the program asks you to sign in. Then ask a plain question: "what does this project do and where is the entry point?". After that give it a small task, for example "add a greeting function to the main file". Claude Code shows the change and asks for permission. The permission mode switches with Shift+Tab.
How to use Claude Code: the first commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
claude | Opens an interactive session |
claude "task" | Opens a session with a ready-made request |
claude -p "question" | One answer without a session, handy for scripts |
claude -c | Continues the last conversation in this folder |
/help | List of commands inside a session |
/model | Model choice |
/clear | Clears the conversation history |
One tip from us: set the task concretely. A request to "fix the bug" works badly, while "after a wrong password the user sees a blank screen, find the cause" gives the agent something to hold on to. Break a big task into steps: let it analyze the code first and change something only afterwards.
What Claude Code costs and which plan to choose
Claude Code needs a paid Anthropic plan or pay-per-token billing. Here is what the pricing page says as of 29 October 2026:
| Option | Price | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | No |
| Pro | $17 a month billed yearly ($200 upfront) or $20 month to month | Yes |
| Max | from $100 a month (5x or 20x of Pro) | Yes |
| Team | Standard seat $20 (yearly) or $25 (monthly), Premium $100 or $125 | Yes |
| API / Console | Pay per token | Yes |
Prices are in dollars for the US and may differ in other currencies. Claude Code draws tokens from the same limit as the chat. Limits are counted in windows that reset every five hours, with a weekly limit on top. The details are in the article on Claude limits on Free, Pro and Max. Anthropic's API prices are: Opus 5.5 is $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens, Sonnet 5.5 $2 and $10, Haiku 5.5 from $0.10 and $0.50.
A subscription or tokens? If you write code every day and stay within the limits, a subscription is more predictable. With an uneven load, paying per token often comes out cheaper. The calculations are in Claude Pro, Max or API.
Claude Code subscription: what a beginner should pick
If you have a way to pay for a subscription, start with Pro and watch your usage for a week. Max pays off when you hit the limit every day. Team is for two or more people and gives a shared bill.
Claude Code free: what is actually free
The program itself is free: installing Claude Code costs nothing. There is no free access to Claude models for it, though. Anthropic's documentation says outright that the free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code.
If your budget is zero, look next door: the codexkey catalog has models with a zero price, namely deepseek-v4.1-flash-1017-free, minimax-m3-free and qwen3.8-flash-free. They come from other vendors, and their limits and terms are on the models page. How to connect such models to agents is explained in Claude Code free: what really works.
Do not trust "free keys" and "cracked versions" of Claude Code on forums and in repositories. The install is free anyway, there is nothing to bypass, and someone else's key or a build from a dubious source can leak along with your code.
Claude Code in Russia: what works
Russia is not on the list of countries where Anthropic allows its services. So signing in to a Pro or Max account and paying for a subscription with a Russian card will not work, and a VPN does not solve payment and risks a blocked account. For the full breakdown see Claude Code in Russia without a VPN.
The working route: Claude Code takes the API address and key from its settings, so it can be pointed at a gateway. codexkey does not sell Claude Pro and Max subscriptions. We issue an API key sk_cdx_... that you pay for with a Russian card, through SBP (the Russian Faster Payments System) or in crypto. The block for ~/.claude/settings.json, with the address given without /v1:
{
"env": {
"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.codexkey.online",
"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "sk_cdx_YOUR_KEY",
"ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5[1m]",
"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "claude-opus-5-5[1m]",
"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5[1m]",
"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5",
"CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5"
}
}
The ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_* lines are mandatory: without them Claude Code asks for its own models and returns a model selection error. Instead of the file you can set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in the shell. Per Anthropic's documentation, a key in ANTHROPIC_API_KEY must be confirmed once on an interactive launch, while a token in ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN takes effect at once. Step-by-step setup is in the Claude Code guide.
Now the money. Say a long session sent 2M input tokens and received 100K output tokens. At the codexkey price list of 29 October 2026, on Sonnet that is 2 × $0.52 + 0.1 × $2.6 = $1.30, and on Opus 5.5 (claude-opus-5-5) 2 × $0.86 + 0.1 × $4.32 = about $2.15. The figures are illustrative: arithmetic, not a measurement. Check real prices on the models page.
A caveat so nobody gets the wrong idea: per Anthropic's documentation, the company does not endorse, maintain or audit third-party gateways, and does not support running Claude Code on non-Claude models through a gateway. For ordinary requests to Claude through our address that only means there is no Anthropic support. When something fails, check the address, the key and the model name first.
Claude Code alternatives
You need an alternative when the price, the model or the access limits do not suit you. Agents of the same class:
| Tool | Made by | What is known |
|---|---|---|
| Codex CLI | OpenAI | A terminal agent, connects to codexkey through config.toml |
| OpenCode | Open project (MIT) | An open-source terminal agent, providers are set in the config |
| Kimi Code | Moonshot AI | A CLI on Kimi models, MIT license |
| Qwen Code | Alibaba | An open terminal agent, Apache 2.0 license |
It is better to compare on your own repository than on demos: take 10-20 closed tasks, run each tool and count the solved ones, the manual fixes and the cost. A detailed comparison with the main rival: Claude Code vs Codex.
FAQ
What is Claude Code, and do I need a separate neural network?
It is an agent program from Anthropic. The neural network, that is a Claude model, is connected to it by subscription or through an API key. There is nothing else to install.
How do I install Claude Code on Windows?
Open PowerShell, run irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex and check claude --version in a new window. Git for Windows is recommended but not required. If the installer is unavailable, use npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.
How much does Claude Code cost?
The program is free. Access to models: Pro from $17 a month billed yearly, Max from $100, Team seats from $20, or tokens through the API. Through codexkey you pay for tokens only, for example claude-sonnet-5-5 costs $0.52 and $2.6 per million input and output tokens.
Can I buy Claude Code from Russia?
You cannot get an Anthropic subscription from Russia: the country is not on the supported list. Through codexkey you can pay for API access in rubles and connect it to Claude Code. We do not sell subscriptions.
Is Claude Code free?
You can download the program itself for free, but it gives no access to Claude: the Free claude.ai plan has no Claude Code. If your budget is zero, take the free models of other vendors from the codexkey catalog; the terms are on the models page.
Which Claude Code alternative should I choose?
If you want GPT models, look at Codex CLI. If you want a choice of providers, look at OpenCode. Kimi Code and Qwen Code run on their own models. It is best to test the choice on your own repository.