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How to Work with Your Projects

This chapter is the backbone of the book. Every application you build will live in a project folder. Here you learn how to create it, save it, close it, and open it again another day without losing anything.

  • Organize your projects in tidy folders.
  • Start and stop a web application.
  • Reopen a project days later and pick up where you left off.
  • Use Git as a "time machine" so you don't lose work.

One place for everything: the projects folder

Create a folder where all your experiments will live. You only need to do this once:

TerminalCode
cd ~            # ir a tu carpeta personal
mkdir proyectos-ia
cd proyectos-ia

From now on, every project in the book will be a subfolder inside here. That way you always know where everything is.

The project lifecycle

All projects follow the same rhythm:

  • Create the folder and enter it: mkdir name and cd name.
  • Build with Claude Code (starting it with claude).
  • Install its pieces once: npm install.
  • Start to test: npm run dev.
  • Stop when you're done: Ctrl + C in that terminal.

Reopening a project another day

This is the part that gives the most peace of mind: nothing is lost when you shut down the computer. To resume a project:

TerminalCode
cd ~/proyectos-ia/nombre-del-proyecto
npm run dev

And that's it. You don't repeat npm install (unless Claude Code adds new pieces). Open the local address that appears (for example http://localhost:3000) and you'll continue where you left off.

Git: the time machine for your files

Git saves "snapshots" (called commits) of your project's state. If something breaks, you go back to an earlier snapshot. It's the best safety net there is.

You don't need to memorize commands: ask Claude Code. When starting a project:

And when you want to save progress:

  • Your work is the project folder. Don't delete it.
  • To close: Ctrl + C and close the window.
  • To return: cd to the folder and npm run dev.
  • To sleep soundly: make Git commits often.
  • Extra: occasionally save a copy of the folder to an external drive or the cloud.

Practice challenge

Create the proyectos-ia folder, enter it, create a prueba folder inside, enter it, and ask Claude Code to initialize Git and make the first commit. You now have your workflow set up for the entire book.