Difference Between PowerShell vs Python
Microsoft today claims that Linux runs like a primary citizen on Microsoft Azure. .The net score is already open sourced and a porting on Linux is already done and PowerShell is following it. Powershell runs extremely well on CentOS and Ubuntu, Mac OS X, and RedHat Linux. Same actions can be performed and the same level of automation can be achieved using either Python or PowerShell. Admins generally automate regular processes by making use of scripts. When you talk about PowerShell there are some functionalities which are only possible on Windows OS. It must be noted, however, that PowerShell is not the only scripting language which has gained much of popularity in the market, but python is also among the widely used scripting language.
Almost all Linux users and admins would have executed .py scripts sometime somewhere. Python is available open source today in binary form as well. It is an extensively used interpretive programming language which is not just used for scripting purposes but can also support all those major features and capabilities which are supported by any High-Level Language. The primary level of features which are included in it is Object-oriented techniques, the provision of splitting programs dynamically and arbitrarily into modules, the use of exception conditions, iterations and conditional statements, option of expanding the programming language. Variable and argument declaration is not necessary unlike most programming languages and therefore rapid programming is overly simplified and can rarely lead to ambiguities.
For Microsoft, PowerShell acts as the central interface at the command line for all windows based systems. This was launched as a Window feature in Windows 8 and the integration of some other products such as Cloud Applications and Exchange Server centering on Office 365 and Azure are supported by a large number of growing PowerShell cmdlets. Windows command line, popularly known as command prompt is a major feature in Windows 10 power menu, which can be easily replaced with the PowerShell (found in system settings). In the newer versions of Windows 10, the PowerShell is the default command line present in the power menu.
The code written in Python is highly readable and efficient and therefore recyclable, unlike many other languages’ syntax which makes use of brackets and semicolons. The property of indentation is a unique feature which is not present in most of the programming languages. Python is available on a number of different operating systems.
PowerShell interpretively processes the code and the feature related to object orientation is also a common one. It can also link processes and commands using pipes. Classic UNIX shells also support this technique; its use in an object-oriented manner opens up a plethora of possibilities. For example, cmdlet such as a Get-Service which is responsible for creating windows service returns the services it finds as objects. The command written after the pipe field is used to list the details. The strength of PowerShell is huge and there is not a second doubt. It eases the way IT professionals automate the task on their Windows system. The possibilities for processing files and folders go far beyond than just this.
Head to Head Comparison Between PowerShell and Python(Infographics)
Below is the top 5 difference between PowerShell and Python:
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Key Differences Between PowerShell and Python
Both PowerShell vs Python are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the major Difference Between PowerShell and Python:
Python is an advanced language which extends its capabilities of being just a scripting language and goes a step ahead by providing iterative constructs, conditional statements and easy to work with syntax whereas PowerShell is not just a language and therefore leverages the.Net style of infrastructure capabilities extensively. Not all languages are able to support the infrastructure capabilities. Posh is one such language which borrows this kind of a pipeline from Perl but it focuses more on the object-oriented method of working which is neat when compared with Perl.
Python is a great choice when you talk about providing a tool efficient enough to be able to replace BAT and CMD scripts on your Windows boxes and moreover, it can also be used to run the scripts on the Linux boxes that you provide. So, essentially it is a flexible language which is able to handle many tasks concurrently as and when required whereas PowerShell is a better fit for administrative purposes. It is an efficient and versatile monitoring tool used to keep a track of all the Windows boxes. It is imbibed with the power of.Net along with many MS product features such as Exchange, Active Directory, etc. and this becomes one of the major reasons why using PowerShell becomes a primary choice. PowerShell comes preinstalled in the majority of MS versions today.
PowerShell and Python Comparison Table
Below is the 5 topmost comparison between PowerShell and Python.
| The basis of comparison Between PowerShell vs Python |
Python |
PowerShell |
| What is it? | High-level general-purpose interpreted programming language | Configuration management and a task automation framework provided by Microsoft |
| Features | Statements and Control flow Indentation
Typing Methods Expressions The extensive set of Libraries A wide use of Mathematics Different kinds of development environments Reference Implementation Cross compilers to other languages Performance API documentation generators |
Background Jobs
PowerShell Remoting Transactions Steppable pipelines Script Debugging Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) New cmdlets Network file transfer Nestable here-strings Block comments Script cmdlets are also known as advanced functions |
| Best platforms to work upon | It is a better choice when you are working on Linux based environments | If you are using Windows, consider using PowerShell for efficient outputs |
| Working | Python is a full-fledged language | PowerShell is a tool to automate the administrative infrastructure kind of tasks |
| Continuous Expansion | Python is rapidly growing. The latest version is 3.4. With every version comes an added set of libraries and better compatibility along with minor bug fixes | Continuous expansion has been made possible due to the usage of new cmdlets (command lets) which keeps on increasing with every stable release |
Conclusion
PowerShell vs Python does not make an apple-apple comparison in many ways. Python is an interpreted high-level programming language whereas PowerShell provides a shell scripting environment for Windows and is a better fit if you choose to automate tasks on the Windows platform. Choosing among these depends on the kind of environment you are using as with Python you do get a handsome support to work on Windows OS. Stay tuned to our blog for more articles.
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