Windows Operating System gives you two most powerful tools, namely CMD and Windows PowerShell. Both these tools give you a command-line interface by which you can interact with your system, though each of the tools has different strengths and weaknesses. They differ sharply in terms of capability, design, and purpose. Let’s go into the differences between the two in more detail in this blog.
Table of Contents
What is CMD?
Command Prompt is a classic command-line interface that dates back to the days of Microsoft DOS and has been around in this window family since then. It was released in 1971, and it has been here for decades. It mainly serves the purpose of executing basic system tasks like library navigation, file management, running scripts for automation, etc. It is very simple and light but not powerful enough to manage contemporary automation and scripting.
What is Windows PowerShell?
Window Powershell is a strong automation and versatile command line tool built on the basis of .NET Framework and was introduced in the year 2006 to overcome the restrictions of Command Prompt, and thus, it gives a better scripting environment to the administrator. It integrates with external platforms like Azure. Its command-line shell can help in executing commands, but it also has a place for scripting language for automation.
Windows PowerShell vs. CMD: Comparison:
1. Scripting:
- CMD supports batch scripting of .bat files
- Windows PowerShell uses the powerful .ps1 scripting language.
2. Object Handling:
- CMD gives the output as plain text.
- Windows PowerShell works with objects, enabling rich data manipulation. For example, a command like Get-Process returns structured data (objects), making it easy to filter, sort, or export information.
3. Functionality:
- CMD manages file and directory operations, like copy, del. Functional for simple tasks, yet it does not have large-scale automation tools or integrate with the system.
- Powershell goes beyond simple functions and includes system management as well as advanced automation.
4. Redirection capabilities:
- CMD has little ability to redirect. The available redirection commands in CMD are (>) creates a new file or overwrites an existing file, (>>) appends the standard output to a file, and (<) redirects the file content to the command.
- Windows PowerShell has great redirection commands. One of the most important is to be able to pipe the output of a command in order to use it as an input into another command. For example:
5. Libraries:
- CMD has very limited access to system libraries and is confined to only internal commands. It doesn’t support any external libraries output plain text and cannot directly interact with external APIs.
- Powershell has an inbuilt.NET Framework that grants direct access to humongous libraries and allows for module imports for more features. It supports the use of numerous external APIs and permits the developers to develop libraries by themselves for automation purposes.
Using .NET System. DateTime class
6. Cross-Platform Support:
- CMD is basically a Windows-based system, and it does not support other operating systems. So, cross-platform collaboration becomes a little difficult.
- Although initially it was designed only for Windows, nowadays PowerShell also works on Linux and macOS alongside Windows, since version 6. This allows users to work effectively with teams who utilize different operating environments.
<image:$ pwsh
PS /home/username> Get-Process>
7. Languages:
- CMD uses simple DOS-based command syntax with limited scripting capabilities.
dir : list all the files in the directory.
- The use of Powershell is through a modern scripting language that is based on the.NET framework, where commands are called cmdlet and are more robust with features like loops, functions, and object-oriented programming.
Get-ChildItem: listing files in a directory.
Other commands Get-Service, Get-Process, Get-Item, and Set-ItemProperty are the frequently used cmdlets.
8. Built-in support:
- CMD makes use of help and /? commands to display help. Though they offer help with the syntax of many commands, these commands are very basic and provide little help.
- Windows PowerShell has a help system through the Get-Help cmdlet. It provides a summary of the command, command syntax, and examples for the Powershell cmdlet.
When to Use PowerShell or Command Prompt?
CMD can be used:
- You want to use a simple tool in order to carry out some basic tasks such as file renaming, navigation within directories, and execution of simple programs.
- Although it is light and easy to understand, it cannot be used for complex automation and scripting tasks.
Powershell can be used:
- When you have to apply advanced tools, automate the system, and perform its management. It offers a huge scripting tool, an object-oriented method, and a large collection of cmdlets which makes it ideal for managing resources and smooth integration with external platforms like Azure.
- It allows you to perform modern workflows and complex tasks that are especially helpful for system administration when there is a need to deal with cross-platform environments.
Examples of PowerShell vs Command Prompt
1. To change the directory location
- CMD: cd C:\Users\Intellipaat\Documents
- Powershell: Set-Location C:\Users\Intellipaat\Documents
2. To list all the files in a directory
- CMD: dir
- Powershell: Get-Child item
3. Renaming a file
- CMD: ren “Downloads\linuxday2.txt” “linuxnew1.txt”
- Powershell: Rename-Item “Downloads\linuxday3.txt” “linuxnew3.txt”
4. Accessing the help command
- CMD: help Rename
- Powershell: Get-Help “Cmdlet name”
5. Stop a process
- CMD: taskkill /IM <process_name> /F
- Powershell: Stop-Process -Name <process_name> -Force
6. Shutdown local system
- Powershell: Stop-Computer
7. Restart the local system
- Powershell: Restart-Computer
8. Get IP address
- CMD: ipconfig
- Powershell: Get-NetIPAddress | Where-Object { $_.AddressFamily -eq “IPv4” }
Conclusion
Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell are the basic interfaces for any kind of interaction with Windows systems. Command Prompt is a direct derivative of MS-DOS. It is quite simple and suited to simple operations and legacy scripts. PowerShell, which is based on.NET, is an advanced scripting environment developed specifically for system administration and automation purposes and offers advanced cmdlets and advanced scripting capabilities. The flexibility of using PowerShell surpasses that of the Command Prompt and makes the work more efficient. The choice depends upon the needs of the user-Command Prompt when quick, easy operations are sufficient and PowerShell for demanding, flexible, and powerful scripting and management of modern IT.
FAQs- Command Prompt vs Windows PowerShell
1. How to find and customize your PowerShell profile?
To customize your PowerShell profile first you need to locate it with the command :
$PROFILE
To check if the profile file already exists, run:
Test-Path $PROFILE
If the profile file doesn’t exist, create it using:
You can edit your profile using a text editor like Notepad:
notepad $PROFILE
. $PROFILE: To apply your changes without restarting PowerShell, reload the profile.
2. Is Windows PowerShell the same as Command Prompt?
The Command Prompt (CMD) is easy and mainly used for simple command-line tasks, whereas Poweshell is advanced and it supports automation and scripting. Therefore, they are not the same.
3. Should I replace Command Prompt with Windows PowerShell?
This should not replace CMD, however. Rather, they complement each other. Windows PowerShell has more advanced features and is a more modernized command-line experience, while CMD will give you that simplicity to be able to complete legacy tasks.
4. Should I learn PowerShell or Command Prompt?
Though the Command Prompt is pretty user-friendly, it has mainly been used for a simpler task, while the Windows PowerShell is mainly used for automation, scripting, and the need for cross-platform collaboration