Introduction to providers
A provider in PowerShell is a specialized interface to a service or dataset that presents items to the end user in the same style as a filesystem.
All operating systems include the following providers:
- Alias: PowerShell aliases
- Environment: Environment variables (for the process)
- FileSystem: Files and folders
- Function: Any functions in the session
- Variable: Any variables in the session
Windows operating systems also include Windows-specific providers:
- Registry: All loaded registry hives
- Certificate: The
LocalMachineandCurrentUsercertificate stores - WSMan: Windows remoting configuration
A number of modules, such as the ActiveDirectory and WebAdministration modules, add service-specific providers when imported.
A longer description of Providers can be seen by viewing the about file:
Get-Help about_Providers
You can view the providers available in the current PowerShell...
