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Windows Command Prompt VS PowerShell

Compare Windows Command Prompt VS PowerShell and see what are their differences

Windows Command Prompt logo Windows Command Prompt

Windows Console Emulator, Far Manager plugins.

PowerShell logo PowerShell

Download WMF. Windows Management Framework contains the latest versions of PowerShell, DSC, WMI, and WinRM for older versions of Windows. PowerShell Module Browser. Search for PowerShell modules and cmdlets.
  • Windows Command Prompt Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
  • PowerShell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-14

We recommend LibHunt PowerShell for discovery and comparisons of trending PowerShell projects.

Windows Command Prompt features and specs

  • Widely Supported
    The Windows Command Prompt is a built-in tool available on nearly all Windows operating systems, ensuring wide compatibility and availability without the need for installation.
  • Simple to Use
    The Windows Command Prompt offers a straightforward interface for executing basic commands, making it accessible even to users with minimal experience with command-line interfaces.
  • Automation and Scripting
    Users can automate repetitive tasks and execute batch scripts, improving efficiency and facilitating complex workflows through CLI commands and batch files.
  • System Administration
    The Command Prompt allows system administrators to perform various administrative tasks like file management, network diagnostics, and system configurations directly through commands.
  • Troubleshooting
    The Command Prompt provides numerous commands for diagnosing and fixing system issues, making it an essential tool for IT professionals when troubleshooting problems.

Possible disadvantages of Windows Command Prompt

  • Limited Functionality
    Compared to more modern or advanced command-line interfaces like PowerShell or Unix-based shells, the Windows Command Prompt has relatively limited functionality and fewer built-in commands.
  • No Support for Scripting Languages
    The Command Prompt does not natively support more powerful scripting languages like Python or Perl, which limits its capability for advanced scripting and automation tasks.
  • Interface Limitations
    The Command Prompt interface is text-based and does not support modern features like syntax highlighting, tab completion, or powerful text editing capabilities found in many contemporary terminals.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While simple to use for basic tasks, mastering more advanced functionalities of the Command Prompt involves a significant learning curve, especially for complex scripting or system administration tasks.
  • Security Risks
    Improper use of certain commands can pose security risks, potentially exposing the system to vulnerabilities or accidental misconfigurations, particularly when commands are run with administrative privileges.

PowerShell features and specs

  • Integration with Windows
    PowerShell is tightly integrated with the Windows operating system, allowing for easy manipulation of system components such as the registry, file system, and event logs.
  • Object-oriented output
    PowerShell outputs objects rather than plain text, making it easier to manipulate and pass data between different commands and scripts.
  • Rich Scripting Capabilities
    PowerShell includes robust scripting capabilities, supporting loops, conditionals, and error handling, which allows for the automation of complex tasks.
  • Extensibility
    PowerShell can be extended with custom cmdlets and modules, and it supports .NET Framework libraries, enabling powerful and flexible functionalities.
  • Remote Management
    PowerShell offers remote management capabilities through PowerShell Remoting, allowing administrators to run commands and scripts on remote systems efficiently.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    With the introduction of PowerShell Core, it has become cross-platform, running on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Possible disadvantages of PowerShell

  • Steep Learning Curve
    PowerShell's syntax and concepts can be challenging for beginners, especially those without prior programming or scripting experience.
  • Performance Issues
    PowerShell scripts can be slower compared to compiled code, making it less suitable for performance-critical applications.
  • Complexity
    The rich feature set and extensive capabilities can make PowerShell scripts complex and harder to maintain, especially for large-scale operations.
  • Security Risks
    If not properly managed, PowerShell can be used to execute malicious scripts, posing security risks in environments where execution policy and script signing are not enforced.
  • Dependency on .NET Framework
    PowerShell's dependency on the .NET Framework may pose compatibility issues for specific modules or scripts, especially when operating in environments where the .NET Framework is not fully supported.
  • Limited GUI support
    PowerShell is primarily a command-line tool and lacks the native GUI capabilities found in some other scripting environments or management consoles.

Analysis of PowerShell

Overall verdict

  • Yes, PowerShell is highly regarded as a reliable and effective tool for automation and management tasks, particularly in Windows environments. The detailed documentation on learn.microsoft.com makes it accessible and useful for both beginners and experienced users.

Why this product is good

  • PowerShell, as documented on learn.microsoft.com, is a versatile and powerful scripting language designed by Microsoft for task automation and configuration management. It's particularly beneficial due to its deep integration with Windows and other Microsoft products, allowing users to automate complex administrative tasks, manage system resources efficiently, and handle various IT environments. The official documentation provides comprehensive resources, tutorials, and examples that facilitate learning and mastering the tool effectively.

Recommended for

  • System Administrators
  • IT Professionals
  • Developers working with Windows environments
  • Individuals looking to automate Windows tasks
  • Users interested in managing Microsoft services and applications

Windows Command Prompt videos

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PowerShell videos

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  • Review - iPhone Gamepad - Logitech Powershell Review
  • Review - What is the difference between Cmd, PowerShell, and Bash? | One Dev Question

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Windows Command Prompt and PowerShell)
SSH
37 37%
63% 63
Server Management
37 37%
63% 63
Terminal Tools
35 35%
65% 65
Tool
46 46%
54% 54

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PowerShell seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Windows Command Prompt mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Windows Command Prompt yet. Tracking of Windows Command Prompt recommendations started around Mar 2021.

PowerShell mentions (23)

  • FeiFlow - An Opinioned Git Branching And Release Management Strategy
    Addressing these concerns requires safeguards and automation. Our "in-house" solution is based on powershell for git scripting and logic and ADO tools set for git repo hosting, tracking, planning, linking, building, execution, and querying purposes. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • If you have no experience, learn Powershell (or Python)
    The official PowerShell documentation (specifically, the PowerShell 101 and About topics) is a great place to start. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Best resource to learn PowerShell?
    Really sorry about that this was the link I embedded https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Feeling pretty down/demoralized. Any suggestions on easy wins for my team?
    - Pick something unique to your team thatโ€™s an irritant and find a way to automate it. We used Powershell to do this ourselves, but I know people also use BASH. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Unexpected behaviour when processing large file with StreamReader
    Uh, what? https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/ is not official to you? Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Windows Command Prompt and PowerShell, you can also consider the following products

MobaXterm - Enhanced terminal for Windows with X11 server, tabbed SSH client, network tools and much more

Console - Console is a Windows console window enhancement.

PuTTY - Popular free terminal application. Mostly used as an SSH client.

Cygwin - Cygwin is a set of tools that provide Linux and POSIX functionality to Windows.

ConEmu - ConEmu-Maximus5 is a full-featured local terminal for Windows devs, admins and users. Get better console window with tabs, splits, Quake style, copy+paste, DosBox and PuTTY integration, and much more.

KiTTY - KiTTY is a fork from version 0.70 of PuTTY. It adds extra features to PuTTY.