New Training: Working with PowerShell 7 on Linux

In this 6-video skill, CBT Nuggets trainer Knox Hutchinson guides you through what's different (and what's the same) when working with PowerShell on Linux. Watch this new Windows Server training.

Watch the full course: Programming Foundations with PowerShell 7

This training includes:

• 6 videos

• 23 minutes of training

You’ll learn these topics in this skill:

• Working with PowerShell on Linux

• Installing PowerShell 7 on Ubuntu

• Working with the OS

• Working with Data

• Working with the Web

• Summarizing PowerShell on Linux

Why Should You Use PowerShell Instead of Bash

In Microsoft's effort to become better stewards of the open-source ecosystem, they released PowerShell for Linux in 2016. Much like Bash is native to Linux, PowerShell is the native shell environment for Windows Server. So, that begs the question, why should you use PowerShell in Linux?

As mentioned above, Microsoft is embracing the world of Linux. After Satya Nadella took the reigns as CEO for Microsoft, the company pivoted from attempting to ensnare customers into the Windows ecosystem to embracing other platforms and meeting customers where they were already at. Part of this shift was re-imagining what Azure, Microsoft's cloud group of services, offered.

Azure has since gained popularity with enterprises in the cloud space. Many organizations have moved to a hybrid IT environment. Though Azure is offering Linux alternatives to Windows Server, that doesn't mean that organizations are ditching the Windows platform for Linux. Instead, many businesses are mixing both Windows and Linux in their infrastructure where it fits.

PowerShell is built from the ground up for Windows. Likewise, it supports features that Bash doesn't offer. If an IT admin must support both a Windows and Linux environment, it makes sense to utilize one shell environment that can handle both. Otherwise, admins might find themselves in automation hell having to maintain multiple sets of scripts and languages for different shells.