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Why Every .NET Developer Should Learn PowerShell?



Recently, someone asked me what would be a great complementary skill for a .NET developer to learn. A year or two ago, I probably would have said a frontend framework like React or Vue, maybe a functional language like F#, or even just another programming language to explore new paradigms.

Today? While I still think all of those are great choices, my answer has changed. Now, I’d recommend learning PowerShell scripting (or Bash if you're on Linux).

Why? Because it’s one of the quickest ways to boost your productivity as a developer. It’s easy to get started, provides immediate benefits in your daily workflow, and ultimately makes you a better developer. And if you're working in DevOps it becomes essential.

How PowerShell 10x’d My Productivity

I started learning PowerShell out of necessity, not curiosity. But once I did, I saw a massive boost in productivity. If you work with Windows machines, especially in a DevOps role, PowerShell quickly becomes a must-have skill.

You don’t even need to go deep into it to start seeing results. Just learning the basics — like automating repetitive tasks — will immediately improve your workflow. You’ll pick the more advanced stuff naturally as you go.

Real-Life Use Cases

Here are just a few ways I’ve used PowerShell in real-world scenarios:

  • Copying files to multiple remote machines
  • Running operations (like iisreset) on multiple servers at once
  • Renaming large batches of files based on specific logic
  • Automating repetitive command sequences to save time

These are all basic tasks I had to do multiple times and ended up automating them via Powershell. I kept the example simple to reinforce the idea that you can start using Powershell NOW.

Just Start Scripting! 👨‍💻



I don't want to give you a full PowerShell tutorial (though I might release my own cheat sheet one day). My goal is simply to convince you that learning this skill is worth your time.

If you work primarily on Linux, swap PowerShell for Bash — it serves the same purpose.

So, just open your terminal and start experimenting. Create directories, move and rename files, automate tedious tasks, and replace those time-consuming manual clicks with simple scripts. Be creative — I guarantee you’ll find plenty of ways to make your life easier with scripting.