Web development on Windows can be perceived by some developers as clunky due to the lack of proper native tooling. While Command Prompt, also known as
cmd.exePowerShell gives you access to the file system on the computer, lets you make server requests, and much more! However, guidance on running development tasks is often provided for MacOS and Linux only. To support Windows users, this guide demonstrates how to perform common web development tasks using PowerShell.
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Getting Help
At any point, if you need information about any PowerShell command or concept, you can use the
Get-HelpGet-Help [[-Name] <String>] [<CommonParameters>]
You can pass to
Get-HelpGet-HelphelpGet-HelpExample
Display basic information about
Get-ItemGet-Help Get-Item | Out-Host -Paging
To exit the manual, press
qFor a less complex command, you may use
helphelp Get-Item
To get an example of the command usage, pass the
-examplehelp Get-Item -example
Pass the
-onlinehelp Get-Item -online
In the example above, the following URL opens in the default browser to show the
Get-ItemGetting Your Current Location
To print information about your current working directory in the console, use
Get-LocationglAliases
pwdExamples
This command prints your location in the current PowerShell drive.
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> Get-Location Path ---- C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gl Path ---- C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> pwd Path ---- C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell
Seeing Previous Activity
To get a list of the commands entered during the current session, use
Get-HistoryGet-History [[-Count] <Int32>]
This command takes a
-Count-cAliases
You can use the familiar UNIX command
historyghyhExamples
Get the full history of the current session:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> Get-History Id CommandLine -- ----------- 1 help Get-History -online 2 cd .\Projects\ 3 ls 4 cd .\powershell\ 5 ls 6 rd .\test\ 7 rd .\test1\ 8 ls 9 help Get-Location -Examples 10 pwd 11 help Get-History -Examples 12 Get-History 13 history 2
Get the two most recent entries of the current session:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> history -c 2 Id CommandLine -- ----------- 13 history 2 14 Get-History
Printing the last command used
To print the last command used, execute
$$PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> $$ history
Printing to the Console
You can use
Write-OutputWrite-Output [-InputObject] <PSObject[]>
Aliases
You can use the more familiar
echowriteExamples
To get information about your home directory:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> echo $HOME C:\Users\User PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> write $HOME C:\Users\User
Print a string:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> echo "PowerShell is life" PowerShell is life
Set a variable and print it:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> $value = "Shell Life" PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> echo $value Shell Life
Creating Multi-Line Commands
To make long commands easier to write, read, copy, and paste, you can spread them over multiple lines using the backtick (
` npm i @fortawesome/fontawesome-svg-core ` @fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons ` @fortawesome/react-fontawesome
Copying and pasting this command in PowerShell will execute the three lines as a one-line command.
Viewing Content of Directories
To view the content of the current working directory, use the
Get-ChildItemgciYou can also pass it a directory path to see the content present at the end of the path.
Get-ChildItem [[-Path] <string[]>]
The
-PathAliases
You can also use the familiar UNIX
lscmd.exedirExamples
To view the content of the current directory:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> # the directory is empty
To view the content of a nested directory, simply provide the path as an argument:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci frameworks
If the
frameworksViewing hidden files
To view hidden files you add the
-ForceGet-ChildItemgciViewing File Content
To output the content of a file right to the console, use the
Get-ContentgcGet-Content [-Path] <string[]>
The
-PathAliases
You can also use the familiar UNIX
cattypeExamples
Print the content of a
package.jsonPS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gc .\package.json { "name": "powershell", "version": "1.0.0", "description": "", "main": "index.js", "scripts": { "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1" }, "keywords": [], "author": "", "license": "ISC" }
Directory Operations
Creating a directory
- The
command can be used to create directories when given the right arguments.New-Item
New-Item [-Path] <String[]> -Name <String> [-ItemType <String>]
The
-PathThe
-NameThe value of the
-ItemType-itAliases
niNew-ItemExamples
Create a directory named frameworks under the current directory:
New-Item -ItemType "directory" frameworks
Shorthand version:
ni -it "directory" frameworks
Create two more directories, languages, and os, under the current directory. To create multiple directories, pass their path as a comma-separated list:
ni -it "directory" languages, os
Create a subdirectory whose parent exists:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni -it "directory" languages/javascript Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\languages Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:12 PM javascript PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\languages\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\languages Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:12 PM javascript
Assuming that the subdirectory employers doesn't exist, create a subdirectory named auth0 that would be its child:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni -it "directory" employers/auth0 Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\employers Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:14 PM auth0 PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\employers\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\employers Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:14 PM auth0
Additional Aliases
mdmkdirNew-ItemItemType"directory"md [<Drive>:]<Path> mkdir [<Drive>:]<Path>
The
mkdirDeleting a directory
To delete any directory, use the
Remove-ItemRemove-Item [-Path] <String[]> [<CommonParameters>]
As before,
-PathAlias
You can use any of the following aliases with this command:
rirmrmdirdeleraserdExamples
Remove the os subdirectory created earlier:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> Remove-Item os
If you try to delete a directory that is not empty, instead of failing, PowerShell will warn you about it and give you the option to delete the directory recursively:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ri .\languages\ Confirm The item at C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\languages\ has children and the Recurse parameter was not specified. If you continue, all children will be removed with the item. Are you sure you want to continue? [Y] Yes [A] Yes to All [N] No [L] No to All [S] Suspend [?] Help (default is "Y"):
It lets you choose from different options:
[Y] Yes [A] Yes to All [N] No [L] No to All [S] Suspend [?] Help (default is "Y"):
You can press enter to go with the
YTo delete a subdirectory, just provide the path.
Moving a directory
To move a directory you can use the
Move-ItemMove-Item [-Path] <String[]> [[-Destination] <String>]
The
-PathThe
-DestinationAliases
You can use the following aliases for this command:
mimovemvExamples
Create a subdirectory named angular under the current directory and move it to the frameworks sibling subdirectory:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni -it "directory" angular Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:36 PM angular PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> mi .\angular\ .\frameworks\ PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:14 PM employers d----- 3/13/2019 4:36 PM frameworks PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:36 PM angular
Renaming directories
To rename a directory, you can use the same command to move a directory,
Move-ItemExamples
Rename the subdirectory angular inside the subdirectory frameworks to react:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> mi .\frameworks\angular\ .\frameworks\react PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:36 PM react
Copying directories
To copy a directory from one location to another, use
Copy-ItemCopy-Item [-Path] <String[]> [[-Destination] <String>]
The
-PathThe
-DestinationAliases
You can use
cpicopycpCopy-ItemExamples
Create the
springframeworksemployersPS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni -it "directory" .\frameworks\spring Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/14/2019 1:51 PM spring PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:36 PM react d----- 3/14/2019 1:51 PM spring PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> cpi .\frameworks\spring\ .\employers\ PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\employers\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\employers Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/13/2019 4:14 PM auth0 d----- 3/14/2019 1:52 PM spring
File Operations
The commands used to perform directory operations can be used to perform file operations as well.
Creating files
New-Item-ItemTypeNew-Item [-Path] <String[]> -Name <String> [-ItemType <String>]
Aliases
niNew-ItemExamples
Create a file named index.js under the current directory
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni index.js Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 1:56 PM 0 index.js PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/14/2019 1:52 PM employers d----- 3/14/2019 1:51 PM frameworks -a---- 3/14/2019 1:56 PM 0 index.js
Create a file named main.java inside the frameworks/spring subdirectory:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni .\frameworks\spring\main.java Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\spring Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 1:58 PM 0 main.java PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\spring\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\spring Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 1:58 PM 0 main.java
If the directory where you want to create the file doesn't exist, executing the following command throws an error:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni .\frameworks\django\main.py ni : Could not find a part of the path 'C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\django\main.py'. At line:1 char:1 + ni .\frameworks\django\main.py + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : WriteError: (C:\Users\User\P...\django\main.py:String) [New-Item], DirectoryNotFoundException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NewItemIOError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewItemCommand
However, adding the
-Force-fPS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni .\frameworks\django\main.py -f Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\django Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 2:00 PM 0 main.py PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/14/2019 2:00 PM django d----- 3/13/2019 4:36 PM react d----- 3/14/2019 1:58 PM spring
Creating multiple files
To create multiple files, the
New-Itemni-Path-PathExamples
Create the files App.js, App.css, and index.css under the frameworks/react subdirectory:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni .\frameworks\react\App.js,` .\frameworks\react\App.css,` .\frameworks\react\index.css Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\react Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 2:02 PM 0 App.js -a---- 3/14/2019 2:02 PM 0 App.css -a---- 3/14/2019 2:02 PM 0 index.css
If any of the intermediate folders don't exist, you can use the
-Force-fIf a command starts to get long, use the backtick (
) to spread it into multiple lines`
Deleting files
To delete files you can use the same command used to delete directories:
Remove-ItemRemove-Item [-Path] <String[]> [<CommonParameters>]
Aliases
You can use any of the following aliases with this command:
rirmdeleraserdExamples
Delete the main.java file present inside the frameworks/spring subdirectory:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ri .\frameworks\spring\main.java PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\spring\ # empty subdirectory
Deleting multiple files
To delete multiple files, pass a list of comma-separated file paths to
Remove-ItemriExamples
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ri .\frameworks\react\App.css, .\frameworks\react\App.js PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\react\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\pwsh\frameworks\react Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/27/2019 7:43 PM 0 index.cs -a---- 3/27/2019 7:49 PM 0 index.css
It deletes the files but not the intermediate react folder.
Moving files
To move a file, you can use the same commands used to move directories:
Move-ItemMove-Item [-Path] <String[]> [[-Destination] <String>]
Aliases
You can use the following aliases for this command:
mimovemvExamples
Move the index.js from the current directory to the frameworks/angular subdirectory:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/14/2019 1:52 PM employers d----- 3/14/2019 2:09 PM frameworks -a---- 3/14/2019 1:56 PM 0 index.js PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> mi .\index.js .\frameworks\angular\ PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/14/2019 1:52 PM employers d----- 3/14/2019 2:09 PM frameworks PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\angular\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\angular Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 1:56 PM 0 index.js
Renaming files
To rename a file, use the same command to move a directory,
Move-ItemExamples
Rename the index.js file under the frameworks/angular subdirectory to index.ts:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> mv .\frameworks\angular\index.js .\frameworks\angular\index.ts PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\angular\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\angular Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 1:56 PM 0 index.ts
Copying files
The same command used to copy directories is used to copy files:
Copy-ItemCopy-Item [-Path] <String[]> [[-Destination] <String>]
The
-PathThe
-DestinationAliases
You can use
cpicopycpCopy-ItemExamples
Copy the file frameworks/react/index.css file to the subdirectory frameworks/angular/:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\angular\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\angular Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 1:56 PM 0 index.ts PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> cpi .\frameworks\react\index.css .\frameworks\angular\ PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci .\frameworks\angular\ Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\angular Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 2:02 PM 0 index.css -a---- 3/14/2019 1:56 PM 0 index.ts
Creating hidden files
To create a hidden file, create the file first and then add "Hidden" as one of its attributes.
Example
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\pwsh> ni .env Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\pwsh Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/27/2019 8:02 PM 0 .env PS C:\Users\User\Projects\pwsh> (gi .\.env).Attributes += 'Hidden' PS C:\Users\User\Projects\pwsh> gci Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\pwsh Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/14/2019 5:28 PM employers d----- 3/14/2019 7:53 PM frameworks d----- 3/14/2019 5:18 PM languages
(gi .\.env).envAttributesgiGet-Item“Learn how to create, delete, copy, and move files and directories using Windows PowerShell.”
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Navigating the Filesystem
To move to a subdirectory, you can use the
Set-LocationslcdcdPS C:\Users\User> cd .\Projects\ PS C:\Users\User\Projects> # takes you to the Projects subdirectory
PS C:\Users\User\Projects> cd .\powershell\frameworks\ PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks> # takes you two folders down to the frameworks subdirectory
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks> cd .. PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> # takes you back one level up to the powershell subdirectory
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> cd ../.. PS C:\Users\User> # takes you two levels up to the User directory
PS C:\Users\User> cd .\Projects\powershell\frameworks\angular\ PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\angular> cd ~ PS C:\Users\User> # cd ~ takes you to the defined home directory
Combining Commands
To combine commands use a semicolon (
;Create a new hardware subdirectory and make it the current directory:
PS C:\Users\User> cd .\Projects\powershell\ PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni -it "directory" hardware; cd hardware Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 3/14/2019 2:32 PM hardware PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\hardware>
It's important to note that the second command will run even if the first one fails. Assume that the hardware folder exists but the colleges folder doesn't. The following commands attempts to create a new file within each of these folders:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ni colleges\mit.html; ni hardware\macbook.html ni : Could not find a part of the path 'C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\colleges\mit.html'. At line:1 char:1 + ni colleges\mit.html; ni hardware\macbook.html + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : WriteError: (C:\Users\User\P...lleges\mit.html:String) [New-Item], DirectoryNotFoundException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NewItemIOError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewItemCommand Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\hardware Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 2:35 PM 0 macbook.html
Since the colleges folder doesn't exist, the first command,
ni colleges\mit.htmlni hardware\macbook.htmlThis is the same exact behavior that
&cmd.exeFinding a File in a Directory
You can also use
Get-ChildItemgciExamples
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci App.css
If App.css is present in the current working directory, you'll see information about the file printed on the screen. Otherwise, you'll see an error like this one:
gci : Cannot find path 'C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\App.css' because it does not exist. At line:1 char:1 + gci App.css + ~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\Users\User\P...ershell\App.css:String) [Get-ChildItem], ItemNotFoundExcep tion + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetChildItemCommand
To search within the current directory and subdirectories for the file, you need to pass along the
-Recurse-ForcePS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci App.css -Force -Recurse
If the file is present in the tree below the current directory, its information is printed on the console, which includes its locations:
Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\angular Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 2:02 PM 0 App.css Directory: C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell\frameworks\react Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a---- 3/14/2019 2:02 PM 0 App.css
Adding Content to a File
To add content to a file, use
Add-ContentAdd-Content [-Path] <string[]> [-Value] <Object[]>
The
-PathAdd-ContentThe
-ValueAliases
You can also use
acExamples
Add a the ".auth0 {}" string to the App.css file present in frameworks/react:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gc .\frameworks\react\App.css PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> ac .\frameworks\react\App.css ".auth0 {}" PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gc .\frameworks\react\App.css .auth0 {}
Finding Text Within Files
Use
Select-StringslsSelect-String [-Pattern] <string[]>
You need to pipe files to
Select-StringThe
-PatternSimpleMatchExamples
To search for the occurrence of the "auth0" string within the current directory and its subdirectories, use the following:
PS C:\Users\User\Projects\powershell> gci -Recurse | Select-String -Pattern "auth0" auth0 frameworks\react\App.css:1:.auth0 {}
As you learned before,
gci -RecurseSelect-StringComparing Two Files
To compare the contents of two files and determine if they are identical in content, you can use the
Compare-ObjectCompare-Object [-ReferenceObject] <PSObject[]> [-DifferenceObject] <PSObject[]>
Compare-ObjectAliases
You can also use
diffcompareExamples
Use
Compare-ObjectCompare-Object ` -ReferenceObject $(Get-Content package.json) ` -DifferenceObject $(Get-Content clone.json)
If the files differ, you'll see the following output:
InputObject SideIndicator ----------- ------------- "name": "react", => "name": "node", <=
If they are identical, there's no output.
You have to execute the
Get-ContentCompare-ObjectGet-ContentCompare-ObjectTo execute commands within commands, you can use the following syntax:
$(<command to execute>)For example, if you want to print to the screen what
Get-Contentecho $(Get-Content package.json)
Marking Server Requests
Probably the most commonly used commands in tech tutorials online are
curlwgetInvoke-WebRequestInvoke-WebRequest [-UseBasicParsing] [-Uri] <Uri>
This command is very powerful and can do a lot. You'll learn how to use it to make basic requests to a server.
Aliases
To make your life easier,
Invoke-WebRequestwgetcurliwrExamples
Let's say that you have a Node Express web server running on
localhost:8080/api/usersGETPOSTTo make a
GETPS C:\Users\User> curl "http://localhost:8080/api/users" StatusCode : 200 StatusDescription : OK Content : ["Tony","Lisa","Michael","Ginger","Alice"] RawContent : HTTP/1.1 200 OK Connection: keep-alive Content-Length: 42 Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8 Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2019 22:14:50 GMT ETag: W/"2a-X4GgAs2DaZWDhw7cuMCCGMiGj58" X-Powered-By:... Forms : {} Headers : {[Connection, keep-alive], [Content-Length, 42], [Content-Type, application/json; charset=utf-8], [Date, Thu, 14 Mar 2019 22:14:50 GMT]...} Images : {} InputFields : {} Links : {} ParsedHtml : System.__ComObject RawContentLength : 42
If you do a
curlcurl : The response content cannot be parsed because the Internet Explorer engine is not available, or Internet Explorer's first-launch configuration is not complete. Specify the UseBasicParsing parameter and try again.
This means that Internet Explorer has not been launched for the first time in your Windows system. To solve it, launch Internet Explorer and choose to use the recommended settings.
To make a
POST$BodyPS C:\Users\User> $Body = @{ >> name = 'alice' >> lastName = 'jones' >> }
To create the object, type
and then press$Body = @{to define its properties as shown above.<ENTER>
Then you can use this
$Body-BodyPOSTPS C:\Users\User> curl "http://localhost:8080/api/users" -Method "POST" -Body $Body StatusCode : 200 StatusDescription : OK Content : OK RawContent : HTTP/1.1 200 OK Connection: keep-alive Content-Length: 2 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2019 22:31:34 GMT ETag: W/"2-nOO9QiTIwXgNtWtBJezz8kv3SLc" X-Powered-By: Express... Forms : {} Headers : {[Connection, keep-alive], [Content-Length, 2], [Content-Type, text/plain; charset=utf-8], [Date, Thu, 14 Mar 2019 22:31:34 GMT]...} Images : {} InputFields : {} Links : {} ParsedHtml : System.__ComObject RawContentLength : 2
The
-MethodThe
-Body“Learn how to make server requests using Windows PowerShell!”
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Checking the Integrity of Downloaded Packages
Go to
and download the WebStorm installer. You'll use it as an example of how to verify the integrity of a file.https://www.jetbrains.com/webstorm/download/download-thanks.html
In the download page, JetBrains suggests to:
Download and verify the file SHA-256 checksum.
Clicking on the
SHA-256 checksum62196e17f1965c97d2c32bf30fadaf7935168933de6ecf23483acfc8bd4a90c6 *WebStorm-2018.3.5.exe
This checksum can help you determine that the file you downloaded hasn't been tampered by anyone during transmission and it's the file JetBrains intended for you to download.
Once the file is downloaded, you can make the
Downloadscertutil -hashfile .\WebStorm-2018.3.5.exe SHA256
is a CLI tool used to verify certificates, key pairs, and certificate chains.Certutil.exe
Upon completion, the command prints the following to the screen:
SHA256 hash of .\WebStorm-2018.3.5.exe: 62196e17f1965c97d2c32bf30fadaf7935168933de6ecf23483acfc8bd4a90c6 CertUtil: -hashfile command completed successfully.
You can then compare this output with the checksum provided by JetBrains on their site. If the file name and the hash match perfectly, you can be assured that you downloaded the right file.
Running Commands as Administrator
You can manually start PowerShell as administrator by right-clicking on its desktop entry and choosing "Run as Administrator" or selecting that from its right menu options. That action opens a console that has elevated access and permissions.
However, you can also start an elevated console through a command in PowerShell:
Start-Process powershell -Verb runAs <process>
This command starts a process with the
runAsFor example, to start PowerShell as an administrator you can run the following command:
Start-Process -FilePath "powershell" -Verb RunAs
Using Shell File Editors
If you are feeling adventurous, you can always download Vim for Windows and use it inside PowerShell.
Further Reading
Getting Started with Windows PowerShell
Understanding important PowerShell concepts
PowerShell Microsoft.PowerShell.Core module providers that manage the basic features of PowerShell
Recap
As a Windows developer, PowerShell provides you with the same capabilities that any terminal application for MacOS and Linux have.
Are there any other tasks that this guide should include or tasks that could be run better with different syntax or commands? Please let me know in the comments below if you have any insights to share! I am loving using PowerShell while making cool web apps.
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About the author
Dan Arias
Staff Developer Advocate
The majority of my engineering work revolves around AWS, React, and Node, but my research and content development involves a wide range of topics such as Golang, performance, and cryptography. Additionally, I am one of the core maintainers of this blog. Running a blog at scale with over 600,000 unique visitors per month is quite challenging!
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