Microsoft has released its command-line shell and scripting language PowerShell Core for Linux operating system as a Snap package, making it easier for Linux users to install Microsoft PowerShell on their system.
Yes, you heard me right.
Microsoft has made PowerShell Core available to the Ubuntu Snap Store as a Snap application.
PowerShell Core is a cross-platform version of Windows PowerShell that is already available for Windows, macOS, and Linux OS and has been designed for sysadmins who manage assets in hybrid clouds and heterogeneous environments.
Snap is a universal Linux packaging system, built by Canonical for the Ubuntu operating system, which makes an application compatible for all major Linux distributions without requiring any modification.
A Snap package is basically an application compressed together with its dependencies and also includes instructions on how to run and interact with other software on various Linux systems.
"Snaps are great because they provide a single package format that works across many Linux distributions, much like how PowerShell acts as a single automation platform across operating systems," explains Joey Aiello, Program Manager of PowerShell at Microsoft.
"We hope our users enjoy the simplified installation and update experience of Snaps as much as we do."
"PowerShell Core from Microsoft is now available for Linux as a Snap. Built on the .NET Framework, PowerShell is an open source task-based command-line shell and scripting language with the goal of being the ubiquitous language for managing hybrid cloud assets," says Canonical.
"It is designed specifically for system administrators and power-users to rapidly automate the administration of multiple operating systems and the processes related to the applications that run on those operating systems."
How to Install PowerShell Core on Linux
To install Microsoft PowerShell Core as a snap package on a Linux-based OS, you first need to install snapd and then run the following command.
snap install powershell --classicOnce installed, open a terminal and run the command pwsh.
Alternatively, you can directly head on to this web page, and install PowerShell Core snap app on your system.
If you want to try out beta software, you also can install the official preview/beta version of PowerShell found here, or run the below command from the terminal.
snap install powershell-preview --classic
The arrival of PowerShell Core on the Snap store is definitely a big deal.
Earlier this year, Microsoft even released a Skype Snap app. All these are a continued sign of Microsoft's support for open source community.
And one should not forget, Microsoft now owns GitHub!
