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Chapter 1 Introduction & Course Overview

Course Introduction & Project Demo

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Welcome to Claude Code Beginner to Pro

Welcome to the most hands-on, project-driven course on Claude Code — Anthropic's agentic AI coding tool that lives in your terminal and writes production-ready code from natural language.

By the end of this course, you will have built a complete full-stack workout logging application called LiftingDiary — almost entirely generated by Claude Code. But more importantly, you will have mastered the skills to use Claude Code as a true engineering partner on any project.

What Is LiftingDiary?

LiftingDiary is a modern workout tracking app that lets users:

  • Log workouts with dates, types, and notes
  • Track exercises and sets — weight, reps, and RPE for each movement
  • View a calendar dashboard showing workout frequency and streaks
  • See personal records and progress charts
  • Manage their profile with secure authentication

It is built with a production-grade tech stack:

Technology Role
Next.js 14+ React framework with App Router and server components
TypeScript Type-safe development
Clerk Authentication and user management
Postgres on Neon Serverless database
Drizzle ORM Type-safe database queries and migrations
shadcn/ui Beautiful, accessible UI components
Tailwind CSS Utility-first styling
Vercel Deployment and hosting

What Makes This Course Different

This is not a course where you watch someone type code for 10 hours. Instead, you will learn the agentic coding workflow — a fundamentally new way to build software where:

  1. You describe what you want in plain English
  2. Claude Code plans the implementation by reading your codebase
  3. Claude Code generates the code, following your project's conventions
  4. You review, iterate, and ship — staying in the driver's seat

Every lesson is project-based. Every concept is immediately applied to LiftingDiary. By the end, you will not just understand Claude Code — you will have a repeatable system for building any application with it.

How This Course Works

The course follows a progressive build pattern:

  • Sections 1–2: Setup everything — Claude Code, Next.js, authentication, database
  • Section 3: Build the app feature by feature using Claude Code
  • Section 4: Automate with GitHub Actions and CI/CD
  • Section 5: Advanced techniques and bonus content
  • Sections 6–7: Real-world best practices and next steps

Each section builds on the previous one. The GitHub repository has branches for each major milestone, so you can always catch up if you fall behind.

Key Takeaways

  • LiftingDiary is the hands-on project you will build throughout this course — a full-stack workout tracker powered by Next.js
  • The tech stack includes Clerk, Neon Postgres, Drizzle ORM, and shadcn/ui — all integrated through Claude Code
  • This course teaches the agentic coding workflow — a new paradigm where AI generates code based on your project context
  • Every lesson is immediately actionable — you will build real features, not just watch demos