PowerShell Tutorial

PowerShell (including Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core) is a cross-platform command-line tool and scripting language developed by Microsoft, built on the .NET Framework. Compared with

PowerShell consists of a command-line interface shell and related scripting language built on .NET Framework and later on .NET. It was initially only a Windows component, but was later open-sourced on August 18, 2016 and provided cross-platform support.

PowerShell is object-oriented, which means it deals with not simple text but .NET objects.

Who should learn PowerShell?

PowerShell is suitable for technical personnel who need to efficiently manage Windows systems, automate repetitive tasks, or interact with Microsoft products (such as Active Directory, Azure, Exchange, etc.), including system administrators, IT operations, developers, and security engineers.

PowerShell's core advantage is converting GUI click operations into reusable script commands, making it especially suitable for batch operations and scheduled tasks.

Ordinary users do not need to learn PowerShell if they only need basic computer operations.

Why do you need PowerShell?

In the UNIX world, command-line shells such as bash, zsh, and sh have long been standard tools for developers and operations personnel. However, Windows initially only had the limited cmd.exe, lacking scripting capabilities, modular support, and object processing abilities.

PowerShell was born precisely to fill the gap of Windows systems in automation and command-line control. Now, it has moved beyond Windows and become a truly cross-platform automation tool.

PowerShell Core Features

  1. Object-oriented- Commands output objects (such as processes, files), not plain text.
  2. Pipeline- Supports object passing, enabling chained data processing.
  3. Unified naming convention- Usesverb-nounformat (e.g.Get-Process）。
  4. Cross-platform support- Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS (PowerShell Core).
  5. Deep .NET integration- Can directly call .NET class libraries and methods.
  6. Modular design- Functions are extended in the form of modules (e.g.ActiveDirectorymodule).
  7. Automation scripts- Supports complex script writing (variables, loops, functions, etc.).
  8. Remote management- ThroughEnter-PSSessionorInvoke-CommandManage remote machines.
  9. Alias system- Supports abbreviations (e.g.lsreplaceGet-ChildItem）。
  10. Powerful help system- Built-inGet-Helpand example code.

One-sentence summary: PowerShell is an object-oriented automation tool designed for efficient system administration and cross-platform tasks.

PowerShell Getting Started Examples

Examples

# Get all running processes
Get-Process

# Get detailed information of a specific process
Get-Process -Name "notepad" | Select-Object Name, CPU, WorkingSet

# Stop a specific process
Stop-Process -Name "notepad" -Force

Related Resources

Official documentation:https://docs.microsoft.com/powershell/

Other extensions