Getting Started with Claude API for Developers 2025
Researchers building AI applications need to understand the Claude API. Here is a practical guide to getting started with Claude API for application development in 2025.
Getting Started with Claude API for Developers 2025
When to Use Claude API vs Claude Pro
Use Claude Pro (the interface): For your own professional productivity — writing, analysis, research. No code required.
Use Claude API: When building applications that use Claude’s capabilities for your users, automating workflows programmatically, or integrating Claude into existing systems.
Claude API Basics
Pricing: Claude API is billed by tokens (input + output). Claude 3.5 Sonnet: $3/million input tokens, $15/million output tokens. Most applications cost cents per interaction.
Getting started:
- Create an Anthropic account at console.anthropic.com
- Add payment method (pay-as-you-go billing)
- Generate an API key
- Make your first API call using the SDK (Python, TypeScript available)
Common Claude API Use Cases
- Document processing: Automate analysis of contracts, reports, or emails at scale
- Content generation: Generate personalized content for many users simultaneously
- Classification: Categorize customer support tickets, content moderation, sentiment analysis
- Extraction: Pull structured data from unstructured documents
- Chatbots: Power customer-facing or internal chatbots with Claude’s capabilities
Development tip: Use Cursor AI for building Claude API applications — having an AI-powered IDE while building AI applications creates a significantly better development experience.
Try Cursor AI for API Development
Ready to get started?
Try Claude Free →Find the Perfect AI Tool for Your Needs
Compare pricing, features, and reviews of 50+ AI tools
Browse All AI Tools →Get Weekly AI Tool Updates
Join 1,000+ professionals. Free AI tools cheatsheet included.