Best Practices for Getting Started with Claude Code
Claude Class
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We'll show you some best practices for introducing Claude Code (or another LLM-based coding assistant) while maintaining knowledge and control of the code.
Starting in late 2025, I have used Claude Code, the generative AI coding tool by Anthropic, to assist me on a number of projects both personal and professional. This article details some best practices that I've developed during this time, with particular focus on introducing Claude Code to an existing, complex coding project. My goal is to show how I work with Claude Code as a powerful tool while maintaining knowledge, control, and ownership of all of the work – as opposed to hands-off "vibe coding." Both my development and production environments run on Linux machines.
Claude Code is one of several LLM-driven coding assistants available today, and my uses of it are particular to my needs. However, I aim to make my advice applicable across a range of similar generative AI products and purposes with minimal adjustment.
Case Study: BumpySkies.com
My case study for this article is BumpySkies.com, a website of my own design that provides free graphical forecasts of turbulence for passenger flights to, from, and within the United States. I originally launched it as a passion project in 2016, and its launch-day state worked well enough that I let it run with minimal oversight for the next nine years.
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