PowerShell
Object shell / .NET · 2006Actively developedObject-pipeline shell scripting for administration and automation.
Procedural · Object-oriented
Links
- Reference / standard
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/lang-spec/chapter-01
- Wikipedia (English)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerShell
Tracked release
- Version
- 7.6
- Artifact
- Runtime feature series
- Published
- Date not verified
- Source checked
- 2026-10-22
Use & ecosystem
- Suited for
- CLI tools / automation
- Family / tradition
- Dynamic scripting, Shell
- Maturity
- Established
- Ecosystem breadth
- Focused
Extensive operational use and a stable supported runtime justify Established. Its ecosystem is deep in administration and automation rather than broad application development.
Industry & practical use
Windows administration, cloud operations and deployment automation are major uses. Cross-platform scripts must avoid platform-specific cmdlets and modules.
Compilers, libraries & tooling
PowerShell supplies structured object pipelines, modules, remoting and .NET access. PowerShell Gallery packages have independent compatibility and maintenance policies.
Platforms & deployment
- General toolchains
- Linux, Windows, macOS
- Specialized tooling
- None catalogued
- Native cross-compilation
- Not the usual deployment model
Modern PowerShell runs on Linux, Windows and macOS. Many administrative modules remain tied to a particular platform or service.
Scripts run inside a target PowerShell runtime. Packaging or cross-building the runtime is not ordinary application cross-compilation.
Project health & support
Microsoft maintains PowerShell with published support policies. Windows PowerShell 5.1 and modern cross-platform PowerShell have distinct lifecycles and compatibility constraints.
Use, ecosystem & platform assessment reviewed 2026-10-22 · Sources below
History & origin
PowerShell emerged from Microsoft’s Monad project and first shipped in 2006. Later open-source releases extended the shell beyond Windows while retaining .NET integration.
- Creators
- Jeffrey Snover, Bruce Payette, Microsoft
- Origin
- 2006 — First production release; Monad previews preceded it.
Influences & descendants
Influenced by
- Not yet documented in this catalogue.
Influenced in this catalogue
- No linked entries yet.
Language features
- Typing
- Dynamic
- Execution
- Interpreted, JIT
- Block structure
- Explicit delimiters
- Semicolons
- Optional
- Lexical closures
- Partial
- Namespaced modules
- Partial
- Pattern matching
- No
- Macro system
- No built-in macro system
Implementation notes
- Modules export commands but do not behave exactly like lexical namespaces. Scriptblock capture has special scope rules and explicit closure helpers.
Sources & references
- Project overview
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/overview
- Language / implementation reference
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/lang-spec/chapter-01
Use, ecosystem & platform sources
- Project overview
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/overview
- Language / implementation reference
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/lang-spec/chapter-01
See the classification definitions for implementation-dependent features. Influence links cover the entries documented here.