PowerShell scripts to extract portal content

Extracting Power Pages (formerly Power Apps Portals) content via PowerShell is typically done using a combination of Power Platform CLI (PAC CLI) and PowerShell scripting to automate the process. This is essential for backups, source control, or CI/CD pipelines.

Below is a complete PowerShell-based guide to extract portal content using pac paportal commands in scripts.

Prerequisites

Before running PowerShell scripts:

Install Power Platform CLI powershellCopyEditdotnet tool install --global Microsoft.PowerApps.CLI.Tool
Ensure PowerShell 5.1+ or PowerShell Core (7.x) is installed
Have App Registration details:
- Application (client) ID
- Client Secret
- Tenant ID
- Environment URL (e.g., https://org.crm.dynamics.com)

Step-by-Step PowerShell Script

Script: Extract Power Pages Portal Content

# Define variables
$environmentUrl = "https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com"
$clientId = "your-client-id"
$clientSecret = "your-client-secret"
$tenantId = "your-tenant-id"
$portalPath = "C:\PortalExports\MyPortal"
$solutionName = "MyPortalSolution"

# Create output folder if it doesn't exist
if (!(Test-Path -Path $portalPath)) {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $portalPath
}

# Authenticate with PAC CLI
Write-Host "Authenticating to Power Platform environment..."
pac auth create --url $environmentUrl --applicationId $clientId --clientSecret $clientSecret --tenant $tenantId

# Select the authentication profile (usually index 0 if just created)
pac auth select --index 0

# List portals in the environment (optional step)
Write-Host "Available portals in the environment:"
pac paportal list

# Download portal content
Write-Host "Exporting portal content to $portalPath..."
pac paportal download --path "$portalPath"

Write-Host "Portal export completed successfully."

Automating with Parameters (Reusable Script)

Save this as Export-PowerPages.ps1:

param (
    [string]$EnvironmentUrl,
    [string]$ClientId,
    [string]$ClientSecret,
    [string]$TenantId,
    [string]$ExportPath
)

if (!(Test-Path -Path $ExportPath)) {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $ExportPath
}

pac auth create --url $EnvironmentUrl --applicationId $ClientId --clientSecret $ClientSecret --tenant $TenantId
pac auth select --index 0
pac paportal download --path $ExportPath

Write-Host "Export completed to $ExportPath"

Usage:

.\Export-PowerPages.ps1 `
    -EnvironmentUrl "https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com" `
    -ClientId "your-client-id" `
    -ClientSecret "your-client-secret" `
    -TenantId "your-tenant-id" `
    -ExportPath "C:\PortalBackup"

Validating Extracted Content

After export, the directory will contain folders like:

Web Pages/
Web Files/
Web Templates/
Entity Forms/
Site Settings/
Content Snippets/
page-not-found.json, sitemap.json, etc.

This structure can be version-controlled using Git or zipped for backups.

Optional: Export Associated Solution

If your portal is linked to a solution, you can export it too:

pac solution export --name "MyPortalSolution" `
    --path "C:\PortalExports\MyPortalSolution.zip" `
    --managed false

Scheduling via Task Scheduler or Azure DevOps

Wrap the script in a scheduled task to run backups daily
Integrate into Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions pipeline for source control

Best Practices

Store secrets (client secret) in secure vaults like Azure Key Vault or Windows Credential Store
Regularly update the backup directory with version control
Always validate portal export by checking file timestamps and key JSONs