PowerCLI is based on Microsoft PowerShell and uses the PowerShell basic syntax and concepts.

Microsoft PowerShell is both a command-line and scripting environment. It uses the .NET object model and provides administrators with system administration and automation capabilities. To work with PowerShell, you run commands, named cmdlets.

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PowerShell Command-Line Syntax

PowerShell cmdlets use a consistent verb-noun structure, where the verb represents the action and the noun represents the object to operate on.

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PowerShell Pipelines

A pipeline is a series of commands separated by the pipe operator |.

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PowerShell Wildcards

PowerShell has a number of pattern-matching operators named wildcards that you can use to substitute one or more characters in a string, or substitute the complete string.

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PowerShell Common Parameters

The Windows PowerShell engine retains a set of parameter names, referred to as common parameters. All PowerShell cmdlets, including the PowerCLI cmdlets, support them.