Updated: July 8, 2013

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

The documents published here are written primarily for cmdlet, provider, and host applicationdevelopers 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 withWindows PowerShell .

Windows PowerShell Documents

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

• Writing a Windows PowerShell ModuleProvides information for administrators, script developers, and cmdlet developers who need topackage and distribute their Windows PowerShell solutions.

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

• Writing a Windows PowerShell ProviderProvides information for designing and implementing Windows PowerShell providers. It will helpyou understand how Windows PowerShell providers work, and it provides sample code that you canuse to start designing or writing your own providers.

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

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

• Windows PowerShell ReferenceProvides reference content for the APIs used in writing cmdlets, providers, and hostapplications, as well as other supporting APIs.