Add -PipeName Support to Web Cmdlets by mdaneri · Pull Request #26024 · PowerShell/PowerShell

mdaneri · 2025-09-09T14:58:53Z

Add -PipeName Support to Web Cmdlets

PR Summary

Add Named Pipe (-PipeName) transport support to Invoke-WebRequest and Invoke-RestMethod, enabling
HTTP request/response exchange over a local Windows named pipe (parity with existing -UnixSocket
support). Includes test infrastructure (PipeName test module) and Pester tests validating basic GET
via both cmdlets.

PR Context

Some hosting / sandbox / constrained Windows scenarios (service isolation, container-like dev flows,
locked-down loopback policies) benefit from intra-host communication without TCP. PowerShell already
supports Unix domain sockets cross‑platform; this extends similar functionality on Windows via named
pipes for web cmdlets. The implementation reuses the existing request pipeline with a custom stream
bound to the named pipe. Tests confirm successful 200 responses and content handling over the pipe.

Summary of Changes

Add -PipeName parameter to web cmdlets (Invoke-WebRequest, Invoke-RestMethod).
Implement named pipe connection handling paralleling existing Unix socket logic.
Introduce PipeName test helper module: test/tools/Modules/PipeName/ (PipeName.psm1, PipeName.psd1).
No behavioral change when -PipeName is not specified.

Design / Considerations

Mirrors -UnixSocket design for consistency.
Scope limited to simple request/response (no HTTP/2 changes required).
Reuses existing response parsing; no new public types.
Security: server controls pipe ACLs; client only connects by supplied name.
Negligible perf impact (code path only active when parameter bound).

Validation

Local build succeeded (Start-PSBuild).
Full existing tests unaffected (insertion only, no edits to other logic).
Verified parameter binding integration with existing parameter sets.

Tests Added

Describe "Web cmdlets PipeName tests" (Tags: CI):

Invoke-WebRequest -PipeName returns 200 and expected body.
Invoke-RestMethod -PipeName returns expected body.

Potential Follow-Ups

Negative tests (invalid pipe name, timeout, premature close).
Multiple sequential request test to validate re-connection behavior.
Documentation updates: parameter docs, examples. PR12345
Release notes entry.
Implement mutual exclusivity between PipeName and UnixSocket (ParameterSet or check and throw ?)

Release Notes (Suggested)

Add -PipeName support to Invoke-WebRequest and Invoke-RestMethod on Windows, enabling
HTTP-over-named-pipe scenarios similar to existing -UnixSocket support.

PR Checklist

Introduces a PipeName property to web cmdlets, enabling HTTP-like communication over named pipes. Updates WebRequestSession to handle PipeName connections, adds tests for PipeName functionality, and provides a test module for named pipe server operations.

Refactored PipeName test setup in WebCmdlets.Tests.ps1 to use local variables instead of script-scoped variables and simplified test tags. Added a README.md for the PipeName module with usage instructions.

mdaneri · 2025-09-09T15:01:40Z

@microsoft-github-policy-service agree

…thods for Unix sockets and named pipes

Added null checks for UnixSocket and PipeName before connecting. Updated socket and pipe connection methods to use cancellation tokens and properly calculate timeout values for named pipes. Reinsert WebSession.PipeName = PipeName; that was removed by mistake

Replaces the ConnectToUnixSocketAsync method and rollback to the previous implementation because it's not part of the PR .

Introduces a PipeName property to web cmdlets, enabling HTTP-like communication over named pipes. Updates WebRequestSession to handle PipeName connections, adds tests for PipeName functionality, and provides a test module for named pipe server operations.

Refactored PipeName test setup in WebCmdlets.Tests.ps1 to use local variables instead of script-scoped variables and simplified test tags. Added a README.md for the PipeName module with usage instructions.

…thods for Unix sockets and named pipes

Added null checks for UnixSocket and PipeName before connecting. Updated socket and pipe connection methods to use cancellation tokens and properly calculate timeout values for named pipes. Reinsert WebSession.PipeName = PipeName; that was removed by mistake

Replaces the ConnectToUnixSocketAsync method and rollback to the previous implementation because it's not part of the PR .

mdaneri · 2025-09-10T15:02:16Z

Hi @iSazonov,
I think it's ready for review,
I cleanup the code, ported the missing code that I forgot to port from my repo and removed anything that was not essential to the PR (unix socket cancellation token)

Thanks

src/Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Utility/commands/utility/WebCmdlet/WebRequestSession.cs

iSazonov · 2025-09-10T18:05:43Z

...t.PowerShell.Commands.Utility/commands/utility/WebCmdlet/Common/WebRequestPSCmdlet.Common.cs

+        /// </summary>
+        [Parameter]
+        [ValidateNotNullOrEmpty]
+        public virtual string PipeName { get; set; }


nit: We should think about removing this virtual.

I used virtual because all other properties are virtual. But I agree with you it's useless

This should be wrapped in an IFDEF since it is Windows only. You should not see this parameter on non-Windows platforms. Same wrapper should be applied to all code paths that touch the pipename value.

We have no standard pattern for this but I believe it is better for UX to get specific message like "The parameter is supported only on Windows. On Unix you can use UnixSocket parameter." instead of generic one "A parameter cannot be found ..."

src/Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Utility/commands/utility/WebCmdlet/WebRequestSession.cs

Removed redundant null check and used null-forgiving operator on _pipeName in NamedPipeClientStream constructor to address potential nullability warnings.

SteveL-MSFT · 2025-10-15T16:26:28Z

@PowerShell/wg-powershell-cmdlets had already approved the original issue being resolved by this PR, no further review needed by WG unless it deviates from the proposal in the isuse

Copilot

Pull Request Overview

This PR adds Named Pipe transport support to PowerShell's web cmdlets (Invoke-WebRequest and Invoke-RestMethod) on Windows, providing functionality similar to the existing -UnixSocket parameter. This enables HTTP communication over Windows named pipes for scenarios requiring local IPC without TCP networking.

Key Changes

Added -PipeName parameter to web cmdlets with corresponding connection handling logic
Created test infrastructure (PipeName module) to validate named pipe HTTP communication
Implemented ConnectToNamedPipeAsync method mirroring the Unix socket pattern

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`WebRequestPSCmdlet.Common.cs`	Adds `-PipeName` parameter definition and session preparation logic
`WebRequestSession.cs`	Implements named pipe connection callback and session state management
`WebCmdlets.Tests.ps1`	Adds CI tests validating both web cmdlets with named pipe transport
`PipeName.psm1`	Provides test helper functions for managing named pipe HTTP server
`PipeName.psd1`	Module manifest for the PipeName test module
`README.md`	Documentation for using the PipeName test module

_{Tip: Customize your code reviews with copilot-instructions.md. Create the file or learn how to get started.}

test/tools/Modules/PipeName/PipeName.psm1

test/tools/Modules/PipeName/README.md

src/Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Utility/commands/utility/WebCmdlet/WebRequestSession.cs

microsoft-github-policy-service · 2025-10-29T13:09:31Z

This pull request has been automatically marked as Review Needed because it has been there has not been any activity for 7 days.
Maintainer, please provide feedback and/or mark it as Waiting on Author

Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

…Cmdlet/WebRequestSession.cs Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Reformatted class and function definitions to use consistent brace placement and spacing. Improved code readability by updating formatting in loops and function parameters, and added a suppression attribute to Start-PipeServer. No functional changes were made.

Removed unnecessary blank line and adjusted indentation for delegate assignment and method call arguments to improve code readability in WebRequestSession.cs.

Corrected delegate and method call formatting in WebRequestSession.cs for improved code readability and consistency.

Unified and improved connection handling for Unix Domain Sockets and Named Pipes in WebRequestSession. Added dedicated async methods for each connection type, clarified precedence, and updated parameter names for clarity. This address the CodeFactor issue Complex Method(20)

Clarified code by adding comments to distinguish Unix Domain Socket and Named Pipe connection configuration in WebRequestSession. Also reformatted the certificate validation callback for improved readability.

Added blank lines after timeout calculation and socket connection steps to improve code readability in WebRequestSession.cs.

iSazonov · 2025-11-06T03:28:56Z

src/Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Utility/commands/utility/WebCmdlet/WebRequestSession.cs

+
+            // Create the pipe client stream and connect
+            var stream = new System.IO.Pipes.NamedPipeClientStream(".", _pipeName!, System.IO.Pipes.PipeDirection.InOut, System.IO.Pipes.PipeOptions.Asynchronous);
+            await stream.ConnectAsync(timeoutMs, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);


Do we really need the await? Can we just return ValueTask without async in the method header?

mdaneri added 2 commits September 9, 2025 07:38

Refactor PipeName tests and add module README

921ce54

Refactored PipeName test setup in WebCmdlets.Tests.ps1 to use local variables instead of script-scoped variables and simplified test tags. Added a README.md for the PipeName module with usage instructions.

mdaneri requested review from a team and jshigetomi as code owners September 9, 2025 14:58

mdaneri mentioned this pull request Sep 9, 2025

Add PipeName parameter to Invoke-RestMethod and Invoke-WebRequest docs MicrosoftDocs/PowerShell-Docs#12345

Open

4 tasks

Refactor connection handling in WebRequestSession to use dedicated me…

404defa

…thods for Unix sockets and named pipes

iSazonov added the CL-General Indicates that a PR should be marked as a general cmdlet change in the Change Log label Sep 10, 2025

mdaneri and others added 7 commits September 9, 2025 22:33

Refactor Unix socket connection in WebRequestSession

99ce9f7

Replaces the ConnectToUnixSocketAsync method and rollback to the previous implementation because it's not part of the PR .

Refactor PipeName tests and add module README

973f823

Refactored PipeName test setup in WebCmdlets.Tests.ps1 to use local variables instead of script-scoped variables and simplified test tags. Added a README.md for the PipeName module with usage instructions.

Refactor connection handling in WebRequestSession to use dedicated me…

ae1877d

…thods for Unix sockets and named pipes

Refactor Unix socket connection in WebRequestSession

6169e94

Replaces the ConnectToUnixSocketAsync method and rollback to the previous implementation because it's not part of the PR .

mdaneri force-pushed the master branch from 99ce9f7 to 6169e94 Compare September 10, 2025 14:55

Merge branch 'master' of https://github.com/mdaneri/PowerShell

90721e0

daxian-dbw added WG-Cmdlets general cmdlet issues WG-NeedsReview Needs a review by the labeled Working Group labels Sep 10, 2025

iSazonov reviewed Sep 10, 2025

View reviewed changes

Fix nullability issue with _pipeName in named pipe connection

0b68f78

Removed redundant null check and used null-forgiving operator on _pipeName in NamedPipeClientStream constructor to address potential nullability warnings.

microsoft-github-policy-service bot added the Review - Needed The PR is being reviewed label Sep 23, 2025

SteveL-MSFT added this to Cmdlets Working Group Oct 15, 2025

SteveL-MSFT moved this to Queue in Cmdlets Working Group Oct 15, 2025

SteveL-MSFT removed the WG-NeedsReview Needs a review by the labeled Working Group label Oct 15, 2025

microsoft-github-policy-service bot removed the Review - Needed The PR is being reviewed label Oct 15, 2025

SteveL-MSFT removed this from Cmdlets Working Group Oct 15, 2025

iSazonov requested a review from Copilot October 22, 2025 11:38

Copilot AI reviewed Oct 22, 2025

View reviewed changes

microsoft-github-policy-service bot added the Review - Needed The PR is being reviewed label Oct 29, 2025

mdaneri and others added 11 commits November 5, 2025 10:35

Update test/tools/Modules/PipeName/README.md

598399e

Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Update src/Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Utility/commands/utility/Web…

aa1b04c

…Cmdlet/WebRequestSession.cs Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Update src/Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Utility/commands/utility/Web…

93b7e48

…Cmdlet/WebRequestSession.cs Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Merge branch 'master' into master

e8ec2dc

Minor formatting fixes in WebRequestSession.cs

4ac2de5

Removed unnecessary blank line and adjusted indentation for delegate assignment and method call arguments to improve code readability in WebRequestSession.cs.

Fix formatting in WebRequestSession methods

52703a5

Corrected delegate and method call formatting in WebRequestSession.cs for improved code readability and consistency.

Add comments for socket and pipe connection setup

2ecc3c3

Clarified code by adding comments to distinguish Unix Domain Socket and Named Pipe connection configuration in WebRequestSession. Also reformatted the certificate validation callback for improved readability.

Add spacing for readability in WebRequestSession

85aa7a7

Added blank lines after timeout calculation and socket connection steps to improve code readability in WebRequestSession.cs.

Merge branch 'master' into master

500c047

iSazonov reviewed Nov 6, 2025

View reviewed changes

mdaneri and others added 2 commits November 6, 2025 15:47

Merge branch 'master' into pr/26024

13bbb9d

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/master'

01b89ca

SteveL-MSFT added this to Cmdlets Working Group Feb 4, 2026

SteveL-MSFT moved this to In-Progress-PullRequests in Cmdlets Working Group Feb 4, 2026

SteveL-MSFT added the WG-Reviewed A Working Group has reviewed this and made a recommendation label Feb 4, 2026

SteveL-MSFT moved this from In-Progress-PullRequests to Reviewed in Cmdlets Working Group Feb 4, 2026

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Add -PipeName Support to Web Cmdlets

PR Summary

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mdaneri commented Sep 9, 2025 •

edited by iSazonov

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