This content introduces PowerShell as a powerful cross-platform shell and scripting language built on .NET, emphasizing its object-oriented pipeline, discoverability, and extensive ecosystem. It covers PowerShell's history, components (shell, language, ecosystem), key concepts like cmdlets and providers, usage tips, and practical examples, helping administrators and engineers automate tasks efficiently across Windows, macOS, and Linux systems.
What Is PowerShell — the Object Party in Your Terminal PowerShell is what happens when a shell saw .NET, got emotionally attached to objects, and decided text-only pipelines were so last season. You open a terminal hoping to type a single command and magically fix everything. Instead, you summon a h...
The One-Sentence Vibe Check PowerShell is a shell + scripting language + ecosystem, built on .NET, where the pipeline passes structured objects instead of raw text, making automation feel less like log-grepping and more like handling actual data. Why you should care: It works on Windows, macOS, and ...
History, But Make It Speedrun 2006: Windows PowerShell 1.0 launches (code name: Monad). Objects in the pipeline? Witchcraft. 2016+: PowerShell goes open source and cross-platform as PowerShell 6+ (now 7.x), built on modern .NET. Today: Windows PowerShell 5.1 still exists on Windows; PowerShell 7 run...
Shell Interactive prompt with tab completion, history, and profiles. Pipeline connects commands with | , but passes objects, not strings. Aliases exist ( ls , cat , dir ) but write scripts with real names for clarity. The Language Strong but friendly typing: everything is a .NET object. Functions, m...
Most shells: text flows through pipes like a never-ending string-nado. PowerShell: structured .NET objects sail elegantly from command to command. Feature Texty shells (e.g., bash) PowerShell Pipeline unit Lines of text Rich objects with properties and methods Filtering grep, awk, sed Where-Object ,...
PowerShell commands follow a strict Verb-Noun pattern: Get-Process , Set-ExecutionPolicy , Restart-Service . Discoverability is a feature: Get-Command shows what exists. Standard verbs exist; check them with Get-Verb . Aliases are for typing speed, not for scripts. Get-Command -Noun Service Get-Help...
PowerShell treats certain data stores like file systems: FileSystem : C:, /Users, etc. Registry : HKLM: and HKCU: Cert: certificate store Env: environment variables Get-ChildItem HKLM:\Software\Microsoft | Select-Object -First 5 Get-ChildItem Env: | Sort-Object Name No more weird custom tools just t...
Add capabilities on demand. # Install and import a module (requires admin sometimes) Install-Module Az Import-Module Az Get-Module -ListAvailable | Sort-Object Name PowerShell searches locations from $env:PSModulePath . Vendor ecosystems are massive; if it has an API, someone probably wrapped it.
Run commands on other machines like a telepathic sysadmin. Windows Remoting uses WinRM; cross-platform can use SSH. Create a session, run commands, close the session. # Run a command on remote computers Invoke-Command -ComputerName server1, server2 -ScriptBlock { Get-Service Spooler } # Enter an int...
-WhatIf previews changes; -Confirm asks for permission. -Verbose explains what a cmdlet is doing. Execution policy exists to prevent accidental script execution, not as a hardcore security boundary. Restart-Service -Name Spooler -WhatIf Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser If you need...
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