Install powershell with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, chocolatey, winget, scoop

Project links

• Homepage
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• pwsh

Project history

Development began in 2002 from Jeffrey Snover's automation vision, originally described under the Monad name. Windows PowerShell 1.0 shipped in November 2006.

Successive Windows releases expanded remoting, workflows, modules, Desired State Configuration, and deep integration with Microsoft server products.

In 2016 Microsoft made PowerShell open source and available on Linux and macOS. PowerShell 6, released in 2018, established the cross-platform .NET Core-based product line; PowerShell 7 continued that line on modern .NET.

Adoption history

PowerShell became a central Windows administration interface through its integration with Microsoft operating systems and server products. Its module ecosystem expanded the object-oriented command model across Windows, Azure, Exchange, SQL Server, and third-party platforms.

Microsoft open-sourced PowerShell and introduced Linux and macOS support in 2016. The cross-platform line subsequently moved onto .NET Core and adopted the `pwsh` executable, making the language usable in heterogeneous administration and CI/CD environments.

PowerShell is distributed through native and third-party package ecosystems across Windows, macOS, Linux, and container workflows.

How it is used

Users run `pwsh` interactively or execute `.ps1` scripts for system administration, application deployment, testing, cloud operations, and CI/CD automation.

Profile scripts customize startup behavior by defining aliases, functions, variables, modules, drives, and preferences. `$PROFILE` exposes the exact host- and user-specific paths for the current session.

Commands emit .NET objects into the pipeline, allowing later commands to filter, sort, group, format, or modify structured values without parsing display text.

Why package nerds care

PowerShell replaced the traditional text-only Unix pipeline assumption with pipelines of structured .NET objects. Commands can pass typed values without repeatedly serializing and reparsing columns of text.

Its verb-noun cmdlet convention, discoverable help system, remoting, module ecosystem, and object pipeline created a distinctive administration culture that spans interactive shell use, scripts, infrastructure automation, and configuration management.

Package users should distinguish current cross-platform PowerShell, launched as `pwsh`, from the Windows PowerShell 5.1 component that remains tied to Windows.

Timeline

• 2002: Development of the technology that became PowerShell began.
• 2006: Windows PowerShell 1.0 was released.
• 2016: Microsoft open-sourced PowerShell and announced Linux and macOS support.
• 2018: PowerShell 6.0 established the cross-platform .NET Core-based release line.
• 2020: PowerShell 7.0 began the modern PowerShell 7 release line.

Related projects

• Windows PowerShell is the Windows-integrated predecessor and remains a distinct, supported operating-system component.
• The PowerShell extension for Visual Studio Code supplies an editor, integrated console, IntelliSense, and debugging workflow for PowerShell scripts.
• PowerShell Desired State Configuration extends the language into declarative configuration management.

Sources

• https://devblogs.microsoft.com/powershell/powershell-on-linux-and-open-source-2/
• https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/install/powershell-support-lifecycle
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/overview