Windows PowerShell

Updated: July 8, 2013

Windows PowerShell® is a task-based command-line shell and scripting language designed especially for system administration. Built on the .NET Framework, Windows PowerShell® helps IT professionals and power users control and automate the administration of the Windows operating system and applications that run on Windows.

The documents published here are written primarily for cmdlet, provider, and host application developers who require reference information about the APIs provided by Windows PowerShell. However, system administrators might also find the information provided by these documents useful.

For the basic information needed to start using Windows PowerShell, see Getting Started with Windows PowerShell .

Windows PowerShell Documents

  • Installing the Windows PowerShell SDK Provides information about how to install the Windows PowerShell SDK.

  • Writing a Windows PowerShell Module Provides information for administrators, script developers, and cmdlet developers who need to package and distribute their Windows PowerShell solutions.

  • Writing a Windows PowerShell Cmdlet Provides information for designing and implementing cmdlets.

  • Writing a Windows PowerShell Provider Provides information for designing and implementing Windows PowerShell providers. It will help you understand how Windows PowerShell providers work, and it provides sample code that you can use to start designing or writing your own providers.

  • Writing a Windows PowerShell Host Application Provides information that can be used by program managers who are designing host applications and by developers who are implementing them. The host application can, define the runspace where commands are run, open sessions on a local or remote computer, and invoke the commands either synchronously or asynchronously based on the needs of the application.

  • Writing a PowerShell Formatting File Provides information for the authoring of formatting files, which control the display format for the objects that are returned by commands (cmdlets, functions, and scripts).

  • Windows PowerShell Reference Provides reference content for the APIs used in writing cmdlets, providers, and host applications, as well as other supporting APIs.