PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language. Initially a Windows component only, PowerShell was made open-source and cross-platform on August 18, 2016.
PowerShell is a powerful and unified approach to automation and configuration management. It gives users a consistent way to access and manage data in both the local Windows file system and across remote Windows and Linux systems. Users can tailor which data is exposed to the end user by building custom layers for reporting, and scripts enable users to automate complex tasks.
PowerShell has a number of features that make it a powerful tool for system administrators, DevOps engineers, and other IT professionals. It includes a number of cmdlets (pronounced command-lets) that provide a consistent way to access and manage data stored in the Windows file system. Additionally, PowerShell includes an integrated scripting language (PowerShell language) that allows users to write and execute scripts to automate complex tasks. This scripting language which is based on the .NET framework enhances PowerShell’s ability to manage and automate system and application tasks.
The latest version of PowerShell, version 5.1, is available as part of Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. PowerShell has also been included in the Windows management framework since version 3.0.
PowerShell is widely used by system administrators, DevOps engineers, and IT professionals to automate tasks that would otherwise take significant time and effort to complete. It is a powerful tool for managing Windows-based applications, as well as Linux server environments. PowerShell also provides a consistent way to access and manage data in remote systems, as well as perform analytics and reporting.
