There are two editions of PowerShell:

• Desktop Edition: This version uses the full .NET CLR. It is primarily used in Windows Desktop and Core Server environments.
• Core Edition: This version uses .NET Core. It is primarily used in Windows IoT and Nano Server environments.

The $PSVersionTable variable holds the information for the currently used PSVersion and PSEdition.

The same terminology can be observed with Windows PowerShell versus PowerShell Core:

• Windows PowerShell is built on top of the .NET Framework:
  • Versions 1 to 5.1
  • Available on Windows and Windows Server only
  • Delivered as a built-in component and via WMF
  • Built on top of the .NET Framework (also known as FullCLR)
  • $PSVersionTable.PSEdition is set to Desktop
• PowerShell Core is built on top of .NET Core:
  • Version 6++ (and Nano Server/Windows 10 IoT)
  • Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Delivered via MSI, ZIP, or PKG (macOS)
  • Built on top of the current .NET Core version (also known as CoreCLR)
  • $PSVersionTable.PSEdition is set to Core

PowerShell Core is available in Windows Server 2016 Nano Server and Windows 10 IoT, but also in PowerShell Core 6 and newer versions.

This information brings us to the following overview: