Easily generate cron expressions for scheduled tasks
Using the Cron Expression Generator is very simple:
Cron expressions are used in various automation scenarios including system administration, DevOps, and CI/CD pipelines:
When running scripts periodically on Linux servers, register cron expressions in crontab. Examples: Run backup script at 2 AM daily (0 2 * * *), run log rotation every Sunday (0 0 * * 0), etc.
GitHub Actions schedule triggers and GitLab CI scheduled pipelines use cron expressions to automate periodic builds, tests, and deployments. Example: Run test suite daily at 3 AM (0 3 * * *).
Kubernetes CronJob resources use cron expressions to periodically execute containerized tasks. Example: Run database backup job daily at 1 AM (0 1 * * *).
When using ofelia (Docker job scheduler) with Docker Compose, you can use cron expressions to periodically execute container tasks.
Cron expressions are used for periodic tasks in monitoring tools such as Prometheus rule evaluation and Grafana alert sending.
Use cron expressions for schedules to periodically execute backups of databases, file systems, and cloud storage.
Used for scheduling cleanup scripts that periodically delete old log files and temporary files.
A cron expression is a format used to define task execution schedules in the Unix/Linux job scheduler 'cron'. It is now widely adopted across cloud services, CI/CD tools, and container orchestration platforms.
A standard cron expression consists of 5 fields:
Each field can use the following notation:
Cron expression syntax is hard to remember and prone to mistakes when written manually. This tool ensures you generate accurate, error-free cron expressions.
Complex schedules can be easily configured by simply selecting options for each field. You can set schedules using natural expressions like 'every Monday at 9 AM'.
See when your generated cron expression will actually execute by viewing the next 5 scheduled run times in real-time. Catch configuration mistakes before deployment.
Generated cron expressions work with all cron-compatible systems including Linux crontab, Kubernetes CronJob, GitHub Actions, Docker, AWS EventBridge, and more.
No need to look up documentation to check cron expression syntax. Use presets to configure common schedules (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly) with a single click.
Cron expressions do not contain timezone information. The execution timezone depends on the server's system time or container configuration. For cloud services, you often need to explicitly specify timezone settings (e.g., GitHub Actions uses UTC).
When both day field (3rd) and weekday field (5th) are specified, they are treated as OR conditions. Example: '15 10 1 * 1' means 'at 10:15 on the 1st of every month' OR 'at 10:15 every Monday'.
Before applying to production, we recommend test runs at short intervals (e.g., every minute) to verify expected behavior. Enable log output to track execution history.
Always set up notifications for cron job failures (email, Slack, PagerDuty, etc.). This is essential especially for critical operations like backups or payment processing.
Standard cron expressions use 5-field format and typically fit within 20 characters. This tool can generate all patterns of 5-field cron expressions. Some systems support 6-field (including seconds) or 7-field (including year) formats, but this tool supports the most widely used 5-field format.
You can use them in any system that supports cron expressions: Linux/Unix crontab, Kubernetes CronJob, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, AWS EventBridge, Google Cloud Scheduler, Docker (ofelia), Jenkins, CircleCI, and more.
Yes, you can. Select '1,5' (Monday and Friday) in the weekday field, '9' in the hour field, and '0' in the minute field to generate '0 9 * * 1,5'.
Cron expressions do not include timezone information. Execution time depends on the system time of the server or container running the task. GitHub Actions uses UTC, AWS uses regional timezones, etc., depending on the platform.
In most cases, they behave the same. Both mean 'every 5 minutes', but '*/5' is more concise and readable, so it's recommended.
Specify '1-5' in the weekday field. This targets Monday through Friday only. Example: '0 9 * * 1-5' means 9 AM on weekdays.
If the cron expression is invalid or specifies very rare conditions (e.g., February 30th), next execution times cannot be calculated. Please check your configuration.
Yes, if the server's timezone has daylight saving time enabled, cron execution times will be affected. During DST transitions, tasks may be skipped or run twice. For critical tasks, consider operating in UTC.
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