What is Powershell?

PowerShell is a cross-platform automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft. It consists of a command-line shell, a scripting language, and a set of tools designed to automate administrative tasks, manage systems, and perform complex configurations.

Initially developed for Windows, PowerShell is now cross-platform, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Key Components of PowerShell

  1. Command-Line Shell:
    • An interface to interact with the operating system and applications through commands.
  2. Scripting Language:
    • A robust, object-oriented language designed for automating tasks and writing scripts.
  3. Modules and Cmdlets:
    • Cmdlets (pronounced “command-lets”) are specialized commands in PowerShell.
    • Modules are collections of related cmdlets, functions, and resources.
  4. Pipeline:
    • PowerShell uses a pipeline (|) to pass the output of one command as input to another.

PowerShell Features

1. Object-Oriented Design

  • Unlike traditional shells (e.g., Command Prompt or Bash), PowerShell outputs objects instead of plain text.
  • This allows commands to work seamlessly with structured data.

Example:

Get-Process | Select-Object Name, CPU

2. Cmdlets

  • Small, single-function commands built into PowerShell.
  • They follow the Verb-Noun naming convention (e.g., Get-Process, Set-Content).

Example:

Get-Help Get-Process

3. Cross-Platform

  • PowerShell Core (from version 6 onwards) runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, making it suitable for managing diverse environments.

4. Scripting and Automation

  • PowerShell scripts (saved as .ps1 files) can automate repetitive tasks, manage system configurations, and handle bulk operations.

Example Script:

# Save to MyScript.ps1
Write-Host "Starting Process"
Get-Service | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Running" } | Select-Object Name, Status
Write-Host "Process Completed"

5. Remoting and Management

  • PowerShell supports remoting to execute commands on remote systems using protocols like WSMan or SSH.

Example:

# Enable remoting
Enable-PSRemoting -Force

# Run command on a remote machine
Invoke-Command -ComputerName "Server01" -ScriptBlock { Get-Service }

6. Modules

  • Extend PowerShell’s functionality with modules, which contain additional cmdlets, scripts, and resources.
  • Popular Modules:
    • Active Directory: For managing AD environments.
    • Azure: For managing Microsoft Azure resources.
    • PSWindowsUpdate: For managing Windows updates.

Example: Import a Module

Import-Module ActiveDirectory
Get-ADUser -Filter *

7. Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)

  • PowerShell ISE provides a graphical user interface for script editing, debugging, and testing.

Common Use Cases for PowerShell

  1. System Administration:
    • Manage users, groups, and systems in Active Directory.
    • Configure networking, services, and scheduled tasks.
  2. Automation:
    • Automate repetitive tasks like software deployment, backups, and log analysis.
  3. Cloud and DevOps:
    • Manage cloud platforms like Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud using dedicated modules.
    • Automate CI/CD pipelines with tools like Azure DevOps.
  4. Security and Compliance:
    • Audit system configurations, check for vulnerabilities, and enforce compliance policies.
  5. Scripting for Developers:
    • Perform bulk operations, generate reports, or test environments programmatically.

PowerShell Versions

  1. Windows PowerShell:
    • Default version in Windows environments up to version 5.1.
    • Limited to Windows-only.
  2. PowerShell Core:
    • Cross-platform from version 6.0.
    • Built on .NET Core.
  3. PowerShell (7.x):
    • The latest cross-platform version.
    • Combines the features of Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core.

Check Version:

$PSVersionTable

PowerShell Cmdlet Examples

  1. Retrieve System Information
Get-ComputerInfo

List Running Processes

Get-Process

Filter and Sort Files

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.Extension -eq ".txt" } | Sort-Object Length

Export Data to a CSV

Get-Service | Export-Csv -Path "C:\Services.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Query Active Directory

Import-Module ActiveDirectory
Get-ADUser -Filter * | Select-Object Name, Department

Advantages of PowerShell

  1. Unified Management:
    • Manage local, remote, and cloud systems with a single tool.
  2. Extensibility:
    • Add functionality using modules or custom scripts.
  3. Ease of Use:
    • Intuitive cmdlets and syntax make it accessible for beginners.
  4. Cross-Platform Support:
    • PowerShell Core/7.x enables seamless management across Windows, Linux, and macOS.
  5. Automation Capabilities:
    • Simplify complex or repetitive administrative tasks.

PowerShell Learning Resources

  1. Built-In Help:
Get-Help <Cmdlet-Name>

Microsoft Docs:

  • Official documentation and tutorials for PowerShell.

Community Resources:

  • GitHub repositories and PowerShell blogs.

Practice Scripts:

  • Start by automating small tasks like file management or system monitoring.

The Powershell Study Notes and Guide

Table of Contents:

Setting up Powershell

Basics of Cmdlets and modules

Basic Syntax: Verb-Noun

Data Types in Powershell

Common Data Types in PowerShell

Variables in Powershell

Pipes

File System Navigation

Working with Date and Time

Filtering and Sorting

Interacting with The Web

System Management

Powershell Remoting

PS Providers

PSDrives in Powershell

WMI and CIM in PowerShell

Error Handling in Powershell

Configuration Management with Powershell

Background Jobs in PowerShell

Scripting

PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)

Basics of Writing Powershell Scripts

Loops

Conditions in Powershell

Comparison Operators in Conditions

Logical Operators

Scripting Constructs in PowerShell

Provisioning a New Server Core Instance with PowerShell

Example Scripts for IT Professionals

Example Scripts for Cyber Security

Common Powershell Tools in Cyber Security

Page Count: 232

Format: PDF & Markup

Testimonials (LinkedIn)

How to buy the E-book?

You can buy the booklet directly by clicking on the button below

Powershell Study Notes | Learn Powershell Quickly

After you buy the booklet, you will be able to download the PDF booklet along with the markup files if you want to import them to Obsidian software.

What about the notes updates?

if you have been following my YouTube Channel, you definitely know that those who subscribe to the second tier of my channel membership they instantly get access to a vast catalog of cybersecurity, penetration testing, digital marketing, system administration and data analytics notes catalog for 10$ along with the ability to receive all notes updates as long as they are subscribed so what does that mean?

This means if you want to stay up to date with the changes and updates to the notes and get access to other categories, I encourage to join the channel membership second tier instead. However, if you are fine with downloading the current version of this section of the notes then you can buy this booklet instead for a one-time payment.

Will the prices of this booklet change in the future?

Once another version of this E-book is released, which it will, the price will slightly change as the booklet will include more contents, notes and illustrations.

Powershell Basics for IT and Cybersecurity

Checkout the video below on my YouTube channel for free Powershell training