Understanding the vSphere Automation SDK for PowerShell

You can manage the vSphere Automation API with VMware PowerCLI by using the vSphere Automation SDK for PowerShell.

Starting from VMware PowerCLI 12.4.0, you can use the vSphere Automation SDK for PowerShell to communicate with all available vSphere Automation REST APIs.

The modules that start with the VMware.vSphere.Sdk prefix contain automatically-generated SDK cmdlets that bind directly to the vSphere Automation REST APIs. The modules function on a low level and communicate directly with the vSphere Automation API server.

You can construct vSphere Automation SDK cmdlets by using the Initialize- and Invoke- cmdlet verbs in combination with the names of the vSphere Automation API data structures or operations.

Figure 1. Constructing vSphere Automation SDK Cmdlets
You construct vSphere Automation SDK commandlets by using the Initialize and Invoke cmdlet verbs and adding an API data structure or operation.

  • Use Initialize- cmdlets to prepare the data structures, if any, for your API calls. These cmdlets function on the client side and do not communicate with the API server.

  • Use Invoke- cmdlets to call the vSphere Automation API server and invoke the operations.