NuGet API v2 Find-PSResource -Prerelease does not return prerelease if there is any newer stable release(s)

[o-l-a-v]

Prerequisites

• Write a descriptive title.
• Make sure you are able to repro it on the latest released version
• Search the existing issues.

Steps to reproduce

PowerShell Gallery / NuGet API v2 Find-PSResource -Prerelease -Name 'Az.Accounts' returns a stable release rather than a prerelease.

I expect this cmdlet to return the newest prerelease version, even if there's newer stable release(s) available.

• Az.Accounts in PowerShell gallery: https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/Az.Accounts
• Doc on -Prerelease parameter: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.psresourceget/find-psresource?view=powershellget-3.x#-prerelease

Observation

Doing Find-PSResource -Name 'Az.Accounts' -Prerelease -Debug tells us that PSResourceGet does a GET to:

• https://www.powershellgallery.com/api/v2/FindPackagesById()?id=%27Az.Accounts%27&$inlinecount=allpages&$filter=IsAbsoluteLatestVersion%20and%20Id%20eq%20%27Az.Accounts%27

Which indeed just returns the absolute newest version, whether it's a prerelease or not.

Workaround

Following URL in my testing returns the newest prerelease, and does not care if newer stable release(s) exsists.

• https://www.powershellgallery.com/api/v2/FindPackagesById()?id=%27Az.Accounts%27&$filter=IsPrerelease&$orderby=Version%20desc&$top=1

This works if asking for one package Id at a time. Don't know if it's possible to achieve this if asking for multiple Ids in the same request.

Expected behavior

Return newest prerelease version

Actual behavior

Returns absolute latest version, whether it's a prerelease or not.

Error details

No response

Environment data

Not relevant.

Visuals

No response

[o-l-a-v]

IMO, -Prerelease is misleading. It does not neccessarly get a prerelase version, but means IsAbsoluteLatestVersion in the PS Gallery API (NuGet v2). In other words: Get the absolute newest version, even if it's prerelease.

Suggestions:

1. Add a new switch -PrereleaseOnly which does $filter=IsPrerelease&$orderby=Version%20desc&$top=1.
2. Add alias to -Prerelease: -IncludePrerelease and -AbsoluteLatestVersion.
   • Removing or changing behavior of -Prerelease would probably be too radical, even though it's not behaving as one would expect?