The Windows PowerShell engine retains a set of parameter names, referred to as common parameters. All PowerShell cmdlets, including the PowerCLI cmdlets, support them.

Some of the PowerShell common parameters are Verbose, Debug, ErrorAction, ErrorVariable, OutVariable, and OutBuffer. For a full list of the common parameters and more details on their usage, run Get-Help about_CommonParameters.

PowerShell offers two risk mitigation parameters: WhatIf and Confirm.

WhatIf

Displays the effects of a command without running it.

Confirm

Prompts for confirmation before running a command that stops a program or service, or deletes data.