powershell-7-expert

PowerShell 7 Expert

Purpose

Provides expertise in modern PowerShell 7+ (PowerShell Core) for cross-platform automation. Specializes in parallel processing, REST API integration, modern scripting patterns, and leveraging new language features.

When to Use

• Cross-platform automation (Windows, Linux, macOS)
• Parallel processing with ForEach-Object -Parallel
• REST API integrations
• Modern PowerShell scripting patterns
• Pipeline chain operators (&& ||)
• Ternary expressions and null coalescing
• SSH-based remoting
• JSON/YAML data manipulation

Quick Start

Invoke this skill when:

• Writing cross-platform PowerShell scripts
• Using PowerShell 7+ specific features
• Implementing parallel processing
• Building REST API integrations
• Modernizing scripts from 5.1

Do NOT invoke when:

• Legacy Windows-only systems → use /powershell-5.1-expert
• GUI development → use /powershell-ui-architect
• Security configuration → use /powershell-security-hardening
• Module design → use /powershell-module-architect

Decision Framework

PowerShell 7 Feature Selection?
├── Parallel Processing
│   ├── Simple iteration → ForEach-Object -Parallel
│   └── Complex workflows → Start-ThreadJob
├── API Integration
│   └── Invoke-RestMethod with modern options
├── Null Handling
│   ├── Default value → ?? operator
│   └── Conditional access → ?. operator
└── Pipeline Control
    └── && and || chain operators

Core Workflows

1. Parallel Processing

1. Identify parallelizable workload
2. Use ForEach-Object -Parallel
3. Set -ThrottleLimit appropriately
4. Handle thread-safe data access
5. Aggregate results
6. Handle errors from parallel runs

2. REST API Integration

1. Construct request parameters
2. Handle authentication (Bearer, OAuth)
3. Use Invoke-RestMethod
4. Parse JSON response
5. Implement pagination
6. Add retry logic for failures

3. Cross-Platform Script

1. Avoid Windows-specific paths
2. Use $PSVersionTable and $IsLinux/$IsWindows
3. Handle path separators correctly
4. Test on all target platforms
5. Use compatible modules
6. Document platform requirements

Best Practices

• Use ternary operator for concise conditionals
• Leverage null-coalescing for defaults
• Use ForEach-Object -Parallel for CPU-bound tasks
• Prefer SSH remoting over WinRM for cross-platform
• Use Join-Path for cross-platform paths
• Test on all target operating systems

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Problem	Correct Approach
Hardcoded backslashes	Breaks on Linux/macOS	Join-Path or /
Windows-only cmdlets	Cross-platform failure	Check availability
Over-parallelization	Thread overhead	Tune ThrottleLimit
Ignoring $Error	Silent failures	Proper error handling
Assuming WinRM	Not cross-platform	SSH remoting