PowerShell is a powerful scripting language that enables users to automate tasks and manage Windows systems. One of the most useful PowerShell commands is Invoke-RestMethod, which allows users to make HTTP requests to remote servers and receive responses. In this article, we’ll take a look at what Invoke-RestMethod is, how it works, and how you can use it to automate tasks and manage Windows systems.
What Is Invoke-RestMethod?
Invoke-RestMethod is a Windows PowerShell command that enables users to make HTTP requests to remote servers and receive responses. It is part of the Windows Management Framework, which is a set of tools and technologies used to manage Windows systems. Invoke-RestMethod is used to make HTTP requests to web services and retrieve data from them. It can also be used to send data to web services and perform other tasks.
How Does Invoke-RestMethod Work?
Invoke-RestMethod works by sending an HTTP request to a remote server and receiving a response. The command takes a URL as an argument and then sends an HTTP request to the specified URL. The response from the server is then parsed and returned to the user. Invoke-RestMethod supports a variety of HTTP methods, including GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.
What Are the Syntax and Parameters of Invoke-RestMethod?
The syntax of Invoke-RestMethod is as follows:
Invoke-RestMethod [-Uri] <Uri> [-Method] <String> [-Body] <Object> [-Headers <IDictionary>] [-Credential <PSCredential>] [-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>] [-CertificateThumbprint <String>] [-Certificate <X509Certificate>] [-UseBasicParsing] [-TimeoutSec <Int32>] [-Proxy <Uri>] [-ProxyCredential <PSCredential>] [-AllowUnencryptedAuthentication] [-MaximumRedirection <Int32>] [-InFile <String>] [-OutFile <String>] [-ContentType <String>] [-SkipHeaderValidation] [-TransferEncoding <String>] [-UserAgent <String>] [-UseDefaultCredentials] [-Cookie <String>] [-SessionVariable <String>] [-WebSession <WebRequestSession>] [-InformationAction <ActionPreference>] [-InformationVariable <String>] [-OutBuffer <Int32>] [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorAction <ActionPreference>] [-ErrorVariable <String>] [-WarningAction <ActionPreference>] [-WarningVariable <String>] [-OutVariable <String>] [-PipelineVariable <String>] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm] [<CommonParameters>]
The parameters of Invoke-RestMethod are as follows:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| -Uri | The URL of the web service to be called. |
| -Method | The HTTP method to be used (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE). |
| -Body | The data to be sent to the web service. |
| -Headers | A dictionary of HTTP headers to be sent with the request. |
| -Credential | A PSCredential object containing the username and password to be used for authentication. |
| -Authentication | The authentication mechanism to be used (Basic, Negotiate, NTLM). |
| -CertificateThumbprint | The thumbprint of the certificate to be used for authentication. |
| -Certificate | An X509Certificate object containing the certificate to be used for authentication. |
| -UseBasicParsing | Indicates whether to use basic parsing or not. |
| -TimeoutSec | The timeout in seconds for the request. |
| -Proxy | The URL of the proxy server to be used. |
| -ProxyCredential | A PSCredential object containing the username and password to be used for proxy authentication. |
| -AllowUnencryptedAuthentication | Indicates whether to allow unencrypted authentication or not. |
| -MaximumRedirection | The maximum number of redirects to follow. |
| -InFile | The path to the file to be sent to the web service. |
| -OutFile | The path to the file to be received from the web service. |
| -ContentType | The content type of the request. |
| -SkipHeaderValidation | Indicates whether to skip header validation or not. |
| -TransferEncoding | The transfer encoding of the request. |
| -UserAgent | The user agent string to be sent with the request. |
| -UseDefaultCredentials | Indicates whether to use the default credentials or not. |
| -Cookie | The cookie to be sent with the request. |
| -SessionVariable | The name of the variable to store the session in. |
| -WebSession | The WebRequestSession object to be used for the request. |
| -InformationAction | The action to be taken when an informational message is received. |
| -InformationVariable | The name of the variable to store the informational message in. |
| -OutBuffer | The size of the output buffer. |
| -Verbose | Indicates whether to display verbose output or not. |
| -Debug | Indicates whether to display debug output or not. |