<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>Articles from August 2026 on PowerShell.org - Welcome Automaters!https://powershell.org/articles/2026/08/Recent content in Articles from August 2026 on PowerShell.org - Welcome Automaters!Hugoen-usAnalyze Dependencies with PSQuickGraph and PSGraphViewhttps://powershell.org/articles/2026-08-22-analyze-dependencies-with-psquickgraph-and-psgraphview/https://powershell.org/articles/2026-08-22-analyze-dependencies-with-psquickgraph-and-psgraphview/Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000<p>PowerShell is excellent at collecting objects. The harder question often comes one step later: how are those objects related?</p> <p>A table can tell us that an Orders API uses a database, a message broker, and a vault. It is much less useful when we need to answer questions such as:</p> <ul> <li>What will be affected if Azure Service Bus is unavailable?</li> <li>Why does the customer-facing application depend on Key Vault?</li> <li>In what order should the platform be deployed or migrated?</li> <li>Where are the cycles and tightly coupled groups when the model grows?</li> </ul> <p>Those are graph questions. <a href="https://github.com/eosfor/PSGraph">PSGraph</a> provides the graph model and algorithms through the <code>PSQuickGraph</code> PowerShell module. The sibling <a href="https://github.com/eosfor/PSGraphView">PSGraphView</a> module renders those models as Graphviz, Vega, MSAGL, and design structure matrix views.</p><![CDATA[

PowerShell is excellent at collecting objects. The harder question often comes one step later: how are those objects related?

A table can tell us that an Orders API uses a database, a message broker, and a vault. It is much less useful when we need to answer questions such as:

  • What will be affected if Azure Service Bus is unavailable?
  • Why does the customer-facing application depend on Key Vault?
  • In what order should the platform be deployed or migrated?
  • Where are the cycles and tightly coupled groups when the model grows?

Those are graph questions.PSGraph provides the graph model and algorithms through thePSQuickGraph PowerShell module. The siblingPSGraphView module renders those models as Graphviz, Vega, MSAGL, and design structure matrix views.

This article builds one small platform model and uses it for several jobs. The point is not the fictional architecture. The point is that the same native PowerShell objects can support automation, analysis, and documentation without maintaining three separate models.

Two modules with different jobs

NameResponsibility
PSGraphThe project and GitHub repository.
PSQuickGraphThe installable module for graph objects, algorithms, GraphML, Graphviz/DOT export, and DSM analysis.
PSGraphViewThe installable visualization module for Graphviz, Vega, MSAGL, and DSM output.

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Install-PSResource ` -Name PSQuickGraph ` -Version2.6.0-beta1 ` -Prerelease ` -Scope CurrentUserInstall-PSResource ` -Name PSGraphView ` -Version0.2.0-beta1 ` -Prerelease ` -Scope CurrentUserImport-Module PSQuickGraph -RequiredVersion2.6.0Import-Module PSGraphView -RequiredVersion0.2.0

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$services =@( [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Customer Portal'; Kind ='Application'; Team ='Experience' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Admin Portal'; Kind ='Application'; Team ='Operations' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Orders API'; Kind ='Service'; Team ='Orders' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Inventory API'; Kind ='Service'; Team ='Inventory' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Billing Worker'; Kind ='Worker'; Team ='Billing' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Notification Worker'; Kind ='Worker'; Team ='Experience' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Azure Service Bus'; Kind ='Platform'; Team ='Platform' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Orders DB'; Kind ='Data'; Team ='Orders' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Inventory DB'; Kind ='Data'; Team ='Inventory' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Billing DB'; Kind ='Data'; Team ='Billing' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Key Vault'; Kind ='Platform'; Team ='Platform' } [pscustomobject]@{ Name ='Application Insights'; Kind ='Observability'; Team ='Platform' })

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$dependencies =@( [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Customer Portal'; To ='Orders API'; Reason ='HTTPS' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Customer Portal'; To ='Inventory API'; Reason ='HTTPS' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Admin Portal'; To ='Orders API'; Reason ='HTTPS' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Admin Portal'; To ='Inventory API'; Reason ='HTTPS' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Orders API'; To ='Orders DB'; Reason ='SQL' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Orders API'; To ='Inventory API'; Reason ='HTTPS' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Orders API'; To ='Azure Service Bus'; Reason ='AMQP' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Orders API'; To ='Key Vault'; Reason ='Secrets' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Inventory API'; To ='Inventory DB'; Reason ='SQL' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Inventory API'; To ='Key Vault'; Reason ='Secrets' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Billing Worker'; To ='Azure Service Bus'; Reason ='AMQP' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Billing Worker'; To ='Billing DB'; Reason ='SQL' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Billing Worker'; To ='Key Vault'; Reason ='Secrets' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Notification Worker'; To ='Azure Service Bus'; Reason ='AMQP' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Notification Worker'; To ='Key Vault'; Reason ='Secrets' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Customer Portal'; To ='Application Insights'; Reason ='Telemetry' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Admin Portal'; To ='Application Insights'; Reason ='Telemetry' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Orders API'; To ='Application Insights'; Reason ='Telemetry' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Inventory API'; To ='Application Insights'; Reason ='Telemetry' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Billing Worker'; To ='Application Insights'; Reason ='Telemetry' } [pscustomobject]@{ From ='Notification Worker'; To ='Application Insights'; Reason ='Telemetry' })

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$serviceByName =@{}$graph = New-Graphforeach ($servicein$services) {$serviceByName[$service.Name] =$service$vertex = Add-Vertex -Graph$graph -Vertex$service -PassThru$vertex.Metadata | Add-Member -NotePropertyName Team -NotePropertyValue$service.Team}foreach ($dependencyin$dependencies) { Add-Edge ` -Graph$graph ` -From$serviceByName[$dependency.From] ` -To$serviceByName[$dependency.To] ` -Tag$dependency.Reason | Out-Null}

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$dot = Export-Graph ` -Graph$graph ` -Format Graphviz ` -GraphScript {@{ rankdir ='LR'; bgcolor ='white' } } ` -VertexScript {@{ shape ='Record' style ='filled' label ="{{ {0} | {1} }}"-f$_.Name,$_.Kind } }Export-GraphvizView ` -InputObject$dot ` -Renderer Dot `-As Svg ` -OutputPath ./platform-dependencies.svg

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$orders =$graph.Vertices | Where-Object Label-EQ'Orders API'# What does Orders API require?Get-OutEdge -Graph$graph -Vertex$orders | ForEach-Object {$_.Target.OriginalObject }# What calls Orders API directly?Get-InEdge -Graph$graph -Vertex$orders | ForEach-Object {$_.Source.OriginalObject }

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$from =$graph.Vertices | Where-Object Label-EQ'Customer Portal'$to =$graph.Vertices | Where-Object Label-EQ'Key Vault'$path = Get-GraphPath -Graph$graph -From$from -To$to@($path.Source.Label) +$path[-1].Target.Label

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Customer Portal -> Orders API -> Key Vault

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$serviceBus =$graph.Vertices | Where-Object Label-EQ'Azure Service Bus'$affected =$graph.Vertices | Where-Object Label-NE$serviceBus.Label | Where-Object { Test-GraphPath -Graph$graph -From$_ -To$serviceBus } | Sort-Object Label$affected.OriginalObject

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Admin PortalBilling WorkerCustomer PortalNotification WorkerOrders API

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$deploymentOrder = Get-GraphTopologicalSort ` -Graph$graph ` -Reverse$deploymentOrder | Select-Object -ExpandProperty OriginalObject | Select-Object Name, Kind, Team

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Azure Service BusOrders DBKey VaultInventory DBBilling DBApplication InsightsInventory APIBilling WorkerOrders APINotification WorkerCustomer PortalAdmin Portal

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$dsm = New-DSM -Graph$graph$sequencedDsm = Start-DSMSequencing ` -Dsm$dsm ` -LoopDetectionMethod CondensationExport-DSMView ` -SequencedDsm$sequencedDsm ` -Renderer DsmVegaMatrix `-As Json ` -Path ./dependency-matrix.json