PowerShell vs Bash vs CMD comparison - Hands-On Comparison

PowerShell vs Bash vs CMD Comparison

📖 Scenario: You work in an office where some computers use Windows and others use Linux. You want to understand how to do simple tasks in three different command-line tools: PowerShell (Windows), Bash (Linux), and CMD (Windows).This will help you talk with your teammates and write scripts that work on different computers.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to create a folder, list files, and show the current folder in PowerShell, Bash, and CMD.You will write small commands in each tool and see their output.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a folder named TestFolder in PowerShell, Bash, and CMD

List files in the current folder in PowerShell, Bash, and CMD

Show the current folder path in PowerShell, Bash, and CMD

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Many workplaces use different operating systems. Knowing commands in PowerShell, Bash, and CMD helps you work smoothly on any computer.

💼 Career

System administrators, developers, and IT support often switch between these shells. This knowledge improves your scripting and troubleshooting skills.

1

Create a folder named TestFolder in PowerShell

Write a PowerShell command to create a folder named TestFolder in the current directory using New-Item with -ItemType Directory.

PowerShell

# Your code here

Hint

Use New-Item with -ItemType Directory to create a folder.

2

List files in the current folder using PowerShell

Write a PowerShell command to list all files and folders in the current directory using Get-ChildItem.

PowerShell

New-Item -Path . -Name TestFolder -ItemType Directory
# Your code here

Hint

Use Get-ChildItem to list files and folders.

3

Show the current folder path using PowerShell

Write a PowerShell command to display the full path of the current directory using Get-Location.

PowerShell

New-Item -Path . -Name TestFolder -ItemType Directory
Get-ChildItem
# Your code here

Hint

Use Get-Location to show the current folder path.

4

Compare with Bash and CMD commands

Write the equivalent commands for creating a folder named TestFolder, listing files, and showing the current folder path in Bash and CMD as comments.

PowerShell

New-Item -Path . -Name TestFolder -ItemType Directory
Get-ChildItem
Get-Location

# Bash commands:
# Your code here

# CMD commands:
# Your code here

Hint

Use mkdir to create folders in Bash and CMD.

Use ls in Bash and dir in CMD to list files.

Use pwd in Bash and cd in CMD to show the current folder.

Practice

1. Which shell is object-based and primarily designed for Windows automation?

easy

A. CMD

B. Bash

C. PowerShell

D. Zsh

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand shell types

   PowerShell is known for handling objects, unlike Bash and CMD which handle text.

2. Step 2: Identify platform focus

   PowerShell is designed mainly for Windows automation, while Bash is common on Linux/macOS and CMD is basic Windows shell.

3. Final Answer:

   PowerShell -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Object-based Windows shell = PowerShell [OK]

Hint: PowerShell = objects + Windows automation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Bash as object-based
• Thinking CMD is object-based
• Selecting shells not related to Windows

2. Which of the following is the correct way to list files in PowerShell?

easy

A. ls -l

B. listfiles

C. dir /w

D. Get-ChildItem

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall PowerShell commands

   PowerShell uses cmdlets like Get-ChildItem to list files.

2. Step 2: Compare with other shells

   ls -l is Bash/Linux syntax, dir /w is CMD syntax, listfiles is invalid.

3. Final Answer:

   Get-ChildItem -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   PowerShell file list = Get-ChildItem [OK]

Hint: PowerShell cmdlets start with Get- or Set- [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using Bash command ls -l in PowerShell
• Using CMD dir /w in PowerShell
• Typing invalid commands like listfiles

3. What will be the output of this PowerShell command?

Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU -gt 100 }

medium

A. Lists all processes with CPU usage less than 100 seconds

B. Lists all processes with CPU usage greater than 100 seconds

C. Shows an error because CPU property does not exist

D. Lists all processes regardless of CPU usage

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Get-Process output

   Get-Process returns process objects with a CPU property showing CPU time in seconds.

2. Step 2: Analyze Where-Object filter

   The filter $_.CPU -gt 100 selects processes with CPU time greater than 100 seconds.

3. Final Answer:

   Lists all processes with CPU usage greater than 100 seconds -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Filter CPU > 100 seconds = Lists all processes with CPU usage greater than 100 seconds [OK]

Hint: Where-Object filters objects by property conditions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing greater than (gt) with less than
• Assuming CPU property is missing
• Thinking it lists all processes without filtering

4. Identify the error in this PowerShell command that tries to list files:

ls -l | grep ".txt"

medium

A. PowerShell does not support ls -l syntax

B. grep is not a native PowerShell command

C. Quotes around .txt should be single quotes

D. The pipe symbol | is invalid in PowerShell

Solution

1. Step 1: Check command compatibility

   PowerShell supports ls alias but not with -l option; it uses Get-ChildItem instead.

2. Step 2: Identify grep usage

   grep is a Linux command, not native in PowerShell; PowerShell uses Where-Object or Select-String.

3. Final Answer:

   PowerShell does not support ls -l syntax -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   ls -l syntax unsupported = PowerShell does not support ls -l syntax [OK]

Hint: PowerShell ls alias lacks Bash -l flag [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming ls -l works fully in PowerShell
• Thinking pipe | is invalid
• Believing quote style causes error here

5. You want to write a script that works on Windows and Linux to list files. Which approach is best?

hard

A. Write a PowerShell script using Get-ChildItem and run PowerShell Core on both OS

B. Write a Bash script using ls and run it only on Linux

C. Write a CMD batch file using dir and run it on Windows only

D. Write separate scripts for each OS and manually switch

Solution

1. Step 1: Consider cross-platform support

   PowerShell Core (PowerShell 7+) runs on Windows and Linux, supporting Get-ChildItem on both.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Bash scripts work only on Linux/macOS; CMD batch files only on Windows; separate scripts add complexity.

3. Final Answer:

   Write a PowerShell script using Get-ChildItem and run PowerShell Core on both OS -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Cross-platform scripting = PowerShell Core + Get-ChildItem [OK]

Hint: PowerShell Core runs cross-platform, unlike CMD or Bash alone [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Bash works on Windows by default
• Thinking CMD scripts run on Linux
• Ignoring cross-platform PowerShell Core availability