Introduction to PowerShell

Welcome to the official documentation for PowerShell! PowerShell is a cross-platform, open-source automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and an associated scripting language built on the .NET framework.

What is PowerShell?

At its core, PowerShell is a powerful shell that enables system administrators and developers to manage operating systems and applications. Unlike traditional command-line shells that deal with plain text, PowerShell operates on objects. This object-oriented approach makes it incredibly powerful and flexible for scripting and automation.

Key Features:

Object-Oriented: Commands (cmdlets) output structured objects, not just text. This allows for more sophisticated data manipulation and filtering.
Cmdlets: PowerShell uses cmdlets (pronounced "command-lets") for its core commands. They are typically written in the Verb-Noun naming convention (e.g., Get-Process, Set-Location).
Scripting Language: PowerShell includes a full-featured scripting language that allows you to create complex automation scripts.
Extensibility: PowerShell can be extended with modules, which can add new cmdlets and functionality for managing specific technologies and applications.
Cross-Platform: PowerShell Core (versions 6 and later) runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Remoting: PowerShell enables seamless remote management of computers.

A Simple Example

Let's look at a very basic PowerShell command:

Get-Process

This cmdlet retrieves a list of all processes currently running on your system. Instead of just spitting out lines of text, it outputs an array of Process objects. You can then pipe these objects to other cmdlets for further processing. For example, to find processes using more than 100MB of memory:

Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.PM -gt 100MB}

Why Use PowerShell?

PowerShell is indispensable for:

Automating repetitive administrative tasks.
Managing servers and cloud environments (like Azure and AWS).
Deploying and configuring software.
Performing complex data analysis and reporting.
Gaining deep insights into system behavior.

Whether you're managing a single workstation or a large enterprise environment, PowerShell provides the tools to be more efficient and effective.

Ready to dive deeper? Head over to the Getting Started section to learn how to install and begin using PowerShell.

Get Started with PowerShell