Select Platform
* * * * *
Runs every minute
* = any */5 = every 5 1-5 = range 1,3,5 = list ? = no value (AWS only)
crontab entry
Next 5 scheduled runs
Build, test and understand cron schedules for any platform. See exactly when your job will run — in plain English.
* = any */5 = every 5 1-5 = range 1,3,5 = list ? = no value (AWS only)A cron expression is a string of five (or six) fields separated by spaces that define a recurring schedule. Originally from Unix systems, cron jobs are commands or scripts that run automatically at specified times — without any manual intervention.
The name "cron" comes from the Greek word for time, chronos. The cron daemon has been a core part of Unix and Linux systems since the 1970s, and today virtually every hosting platform, cloud provider, and web framework supports cron-based scheduling in some form.
| Field | Allowed Values | Special Characters | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0–59 | * , - / | 30 = at 30 mins past |
| Hour | 0–23 | * , - / | */6 = every 6 hours |
| Day of month | 1–31 | * , - / ? | 1 = 1st of month |
| Month | 1–12 | * , - / | 1-6 = Jan to Jun |
| Day of week | 0–6 (Sun=0) | * , - / ? | 1-5 = Mon–Fri |
While the core five-field format is universal, different platforms extend or modify the syntax. AWS EventBridge wraps expressions in cron(...) and adds a Year field. Azure Functions and node-cron prepend a Seconds field, making it six fields total. Heroku Scheduler doesn't accept custom expressions at all — only fixed intervals.
WordPress has its own scheduling system called WP-Cron, but it's "fake cron" — it only runs when someone visits your site. For production sites with real scheduling needs, you should disable WP-Cron and replace it with a real server-side cron job. Use the CMS tab above to get the exact command for your WordPress installation.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| * * * * * | Every minute |
| */5 * * * * | Every 5 minutes |
| 0 * * * * | Every hour on the hour |
| 0 0 * * * | Daily at midnight |
| 0 9 * * 1-5 | Every weekday at 9am |
| 0 0 1 * * | First day of every month |
| 0 0 * * 0 | Every Sunday at midnight |
| 0 0 1 1 * | Once a year, Jan 1st |