This post will present a detailed comparison of PowerShell and command prompt with the below-listed learning outcomes:
- What is Windows PowerShell?
- Advantages of PowerShell
- What is a command prompt?
- Advantages of command prompt
- Difference Between Command prompt and PowerShell
- Comparison Based on Commands
So, let’s get started!
What is Windows PowerShell?
Windows PowerShell is made up of a command-line interface(CLI) and a scripting language, and it is based on the .Net framework. It is an object-oriented task automation engine and scripting language that assists the administrator to automate and configure the administrative tasks. From Windows 2007 onwards, it is available on the Windows operating systems natively and it can be installed on other operating systems such as Linux and macOS.
Advantages of PowerShell
Windows PowerShell provides a wide range of benefits, some notable advantages of Windows PowerShell are listed below:
- It is open Source.
- It is a cross-platform tool.
- It provides task automation.
- PowerShell saves a lot of time.
- It is easier and more flexible.
- It is a secure scripting engine.
- It offers a rich command-line-based interface.
- PowerShell provides easy debugging.
- It provides Better management testability.
What is the Windows command prompt?
Command prompt, also known as CMD, is a default interpreter in the Windows operating system and was first released in 1987. It is a native application in the Windows operating system that allows the user to perform different tasks using the commands. Windows Command Prompt is an interpreter that accepts the commands from the user and converts/translates them into machine language.
Advantages of command prompt
Command prompt provides several advantages. Some remarkable advantages of the command prompt are mentioned below:
- Requires less memory.
- Consumes less CPU time.
- Fast performance.
- It saves a lot of time.
- Task automation.
- Maintains the commands history.
Difference Between Command prompt and PowerShell
The table below will present a comparative analysis of the Windows PowerShell and Windows Command Prompt based on some key differences:
| Windows PowerShell | Windows Command Prompt |
| Released in 2006. | Released in 1981. |
| It has an interactive graphical CLI. | It has a text-based user interface. |
| It treats output as objects. | It treats output as plain text. |
| Can run a set of commands simultaneously in the form of a script. | Runs one command at a time. |
| It has an Integrated Scripting Environment(ISE). | Doesn’t have any ISE. |
| It supports batch as well as PowerShell cmdlets. | It supports only batch commands. |
| Can access different programming libraries. | Can’t access any programming library. |
| Can be installed on Linux operating system. | Doesn’t support the Linux operating system. |
| It can be connected with Microsoft’s online products like the cloud. | It can’t be connected with any of Microsoft’s online products. |
| Output/result of one command can be passed to the other cmdlet via a pipeline. | Can’t pass the output of one command to the other command. |
| By default available on Windows 2007 and above. | By default, it is available on all Windows operating systems. |
Comparison Based on Commands
The table given below will present a Commands-based comparative analysis of Windows PowerShell and Bash Scripting:
| Task | Command Prompt | PowerShell Command |
| List of files/directories. | dir | Get-ChildItem or ls |
| Rename a file | rename “oldFileName” “newFileName” | Rename-Item |
| Show current directory. | cd | Get-location |
| Clear Screen. | cls | Cls, clear, ctrl+l |
| Get Help | help | Get-help |
| Get ip Address | ipconfig | Test-Connection -ComputerName |
| Print a String. | echo “string” | echo “string”, write-host |
| Shutdown Computer | shutdown /s | Stop-computer |
| Restart Computer | shutdown /r | Restart-Computer |
All these commands can be used on the respective platforms to achieve different functionalities.
Conclusion
PowerShell is an object-oriented task automation engine and scripting language that assists the administrator to automate and configure administrative tasks. On the other hand, the command prompt is a native application in the Windows operating system that allows the user to perform different tasks using the commands. This post discussed the different aspects of PowerShell and Command prompt.
