One of the biggest problems that I have had with PowerShell is that it’s just too good. I want to use it for everything. Need to perform automation based on monitoring events? Pwsh. Want to update rows in a database when someone clicks a link on a webpage? Pwsh. Want to automate annoying your friends with the push of a button on your phone? Pwsh. I use it for everything. There is just one problem.
I am lazy and impatient. Ok, that’s two problems. Maybe counting is a third.
I want things to happen instantly. I don’t want to schedule something in task scheduler. I don’t want have to run a script manually. I want an API like end-point that will allow me to trigger my shenanigans immediately.
Oh, and I want it to be simple.
Enter FluentD. What is Fluentd you ask? From the website – “Fluentd allows you to unify data collection and consumption for a better use and understanding of data.” I don’t necessarily agree with this statement, though – I believe it’s so much more than that. I view it more like an integration engine with a wide community of plug-ins that allow you to integrate a wide variety of toolsets. It’s simple, light-weight, and quick. It doesn’t consume a ton of resources sitting in the background, either. You can run it on a ton of different platforms too – *nix, windows, docker, etc… There is even a slim version for edge devices – IOT or small containers. And I can run it all on-prem if I want.
What makes it so nice to use with PowerShell is that I can have a web API endpoint stood up in seconds that will trigger my PowerShell scripts. Literally – it’s amazingly simple. A simple config file like this is all it takes:
<source> @type http port 9880 </source>
Boom – you have an listener on port 9880 ready to accept data. If you want to run a PowerShell script from the data it receives, just expand your config file a little.
<source>
@type http
port 9880
</source>
#Outputs
<match **>
@type exec
command "e:/tasks/pwsh/pwsh.exe -file e:/tasks/pwsh/events/start-annoyingpeople.ps1"
<format>
@type json
</format>
<buffer>
flush_interval 2s
</buffer>
</match>With this config file you are telling FluentD to listen on port 9880 (http://localhost:9880/automation?) for traffic. If it sees a JSON payload (post request) on that port, it will execute the command specified – in this case, my script to amuse me and annoy my friends. All I have to do is run this as a service on my Windows box (or a process on *Nix, of course) and I have a fully functioning PowerShell executing web API endpoint.
It doesn’t have to just be web, either. They have over 800 plug-ins for input and output channels. Want SNMP traps to trigger your scripts? You can do it. How about an entry in a log starting your PowerShell fun? Sure! Seriously – take a look at FluentD and how it can up your PowerShell game immensely.