How to use Start-Job in PowerShell

How to use Start-Job in PowerShell

In PowerShell, the Start-Job cmdlet allows you to run a command or script in the background as a separate job, rather than running it in the current session.

This can be useful when you want to run a long-running or resource-intensive task without blocking the current session, or when you want to run multiple tasks concurrently.

To use the Start-Job cmdlet, you simply specify the command or script that you want to run as a job, like this:

Start-Job -ScriptBlock {
    # command or script goes here
}

In this example, the Start-Job cmdlet runs the specified command or script in the background as a separate job.

You can then use the Get-Job cmdlet to retrieve information about the job, such as its status and output, like this:

Get-Job

Once the job is complete, you can retrieve the output of the job using the Receive-Job cmdlet, like this:

Receive-Job -Id <job ID>

In this example, the Receive-Job cmdlet retrieves the output of the job with the specified ID.

You can also use the Remove-Job cmdlet to remove the job from the job queue, like this:

Remove-Job -Id <job ID>

In this example, the Remove-Job cmdlet removes the job with the specified ID from the job queue.

Conclusion

The Start-Job cmdlet is a useful tool in PowerShell for running commands or scripts in the background as separate jobs.

This can help you to improve the performance and responsiveness of your PowerShell scripts, and make it easier to manage and automate complex tasks.