Set-Alias

PowerShell Cmdlet Deep Dive: Set-Alias

Welcome back to Wahmans PowerShell blog! Today we’re going to take a look at a simple but highly effective cmdlet that can speed up your scripts and make your daily PowerShell usage more efficient: Set-Alias.

Description from Microsoft: Creates or changes an alias for a cmdlet or other command in the current PowerShell session.

In other words, Set-Alias lets you create a shortcut for a longer cmdlet, simplifying your work and reducing the chance of typos. This alias only lives in the current session unless persisted using profiles or scripts.

Example 1: Beginner – Shorten Get-ChildItem to list

Set-Alias -Name list -Value Get-ChildItem

Now whenever you type list in the session, it behaves the same as running Get-ChildItem.

Example 2: Intermediate – Use gs for Get-Service

Set-Alias gs Get-Service

This helps when you frequently query services and want a quick way to do so:

gs | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq 'Running'}

Example 3: Advanced – Alias for custom function

Suppose you wrote your own function:

function Restart-SQL {
    Restart-Service -Name 'MSSQLSERVER'
}
Set-Alias -Name rsql -Value Restart-SQL

Now rsql becomes a fast way to restart your SQL Server service!

Example 4: Pro-Level – Swap Remove-Item for safety

Dangerous mistakes happen. Instead of letting Remove-Item immediately delete things, you could alias it to a safer version:

function Safe-Remove {
    param([string]$Path)
    Write-Host "Are you sure you want to delete $Path? (y/n)"
    $confirm = Read-Host
    if ($confirm -eq 'y') {
        Remove-Item $Path -Recurse -Force
    } else {
        Write-Host "Aborted."
    }
}
Set-Alias del Safe-Remove

This prevents accidental deletions while maintaining command-line efficiency.

Final Thoughts

Set-Alias might seem minor, but with a little creativity it becomes a major player in making your PowerShell experience more tailored and productive. Just remember, aliases are only valid for the current session unless saved in your profile.

Happy scripting, and I will see you in the next post!