# Terminal

> A text-based window where you control your computer by typing commands, one line at a time, instead of clicking buttons and menus.

**Category:** Under the hood

A **terminal** is a window that takes typed **commands** rather than clicks. You type an instruction, press enter, and the computer runs it and prints the result as text. It is the plain, direct way to drive a machine, and it predates the mouse by decades.

Why bother, when buttons exist? Because typing is **precise and repeatable**. A command can do in one line what a dozen clicks would, it can be saved and re-run, and it works the same on any machine. Developers live in the terminal because it is fast, scriptable, and honest about exactly what it is doing.

For this course, the terminal matters for one reason: it is where **[Claude Code](/glossary#claude-code) runs**. You do not need to master it to follow along, just to know that the terminal is the text window where the coding agent does its work.

## At work

Opening the terminal to run a single command (say, to start a project) can replace a fiddly trip through menus and settings, and you can save the command to run again next time.

## Often confused with

A code editor. An editor is where you write and read files; the terminal is where you run commands. They sit side by side, and Claude Code uses the terminal.

## Related terms

- Claude Code

## See it in a lesson

[Claude Code](/en/learn/advanced/claude-code)

## Further reading

- [Command-line interface (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command-line_interface): The concept, history, and how it compares to clicking.
- [Terminal emulator (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_emulator): The app that gives you a terminal window today.
- [Claude Code quickstart (Anthropic docs)](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/quickstart): See a terminal in real use: run Claude Code in one.

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Last updated: 25/07/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary