PowerShell — Complete Guide

What Is PowerShell?

PowerShell is a task automation framework combining a command-line shell with a .NET scripting language.

Cmdlets — Complete Guide

PowerShell cmdlets follow Verb-Noun naming (Get-Process, Set-Service) for discoverable and consistent commands.

The Object Pipeline — Complete Guide

PowerShell's pipeline passes .NET objects between commands, preserving structure unlike text-based shells.

Variables and Data Types — Complete Guide

PowerShell variables use $ prefix with support for strings, arrays, hashtables, and type conversion.

Control Flow — Complete Guide

PowerShell control flow includes if/elseif/else, switch, for, foreach, while, and do/while loops.

Functions — Complete Guide

PowerShell functions support named/positional parameters, pipeline input, begin/process/end blocks, and advanced functions.

Modules — Complete Guide

PowerShell modules organize related functions into reusable packages with module manifests and versioning.

File System Automation — Complete Guide

PowerShell treats files and folders as .NET objects with properties like LastWriteTime, Length, and Extension.

Registry Management — Complete Guide

PowerShell accesses the Windows registry as a PSDrive, reading and writing keys with standard cmdlets.

PowerShell Remoting — Complete Guide

PowerShell remoting manages multiple machines via WinRM with Enter-PSSession and Invoke-Command.

Active Directory — Complete Guide

PowerShell AD module manages users, groups, computers, and organizational units with Get-ADUser and related cmdlets.

Error Handling

PowerShell error handling uses try/catch/finally, trap statements, and $Error automatic variable.

Security — Complete Guide

PowerShell security includes execution policies, constrained language mode, script signing, and transcription logging.

Desired State Configuration — Complete Guide

DSC declaratively configures system state with configurations, resources, and LCM management.

Real-World Projects — Complete Guide

Build automation scripts for server monitoring, log analysis, deployment, and system administration.