Create cron schedules visually, see explanations in plain English, and preview the next 10 execution times. Works with Linux, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, AWS, and more.
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A cron expression is a string that defines a schedule for running automated tasks. Originally from Unix/Linux, cron syntax is now the de-facto standard for job scheduling across platforms including Kubernetes CronJobs, GitHub Actions, AWS EventBridge, and virtually every CI/CD and cloud platform.
A standard cron expression has 5 fields separated by spaces, each representing a time unit. Using special characters like * (every), - (range),, (list), and / (step), you can define complex recurring schedules in a compact format.
A standard cron expression consists of 5 fields separated by spaces. Each field accepts numbers, wildcards, ranges, and step values.
Meaning: At minute 0, hour 9 (9 AM), every day of the month (*), every month (*), Monday through Friday (1-5).
Matches all possible values for the field
Specifies a list of values
Specifies a range of values
Specifies step/interval values
| Expression | Description |
|---|---|
| * * * * * | Every minute |
| */5 * * * * | Every 5 minutes |
| */15 * * * * | Every 15 minutes |
| 0 * * * * | Every hour (at minute 0) |
| 0 */2 * * * | Every 2 hours |
| 0 0 * * * | Daily at midnight |
| 0 6 * * * | Daily at 6 AM |
| 0 9 * * 1-5 | Weekdays at 9 AM |
| 0 0 * * 0 | Weekly on Sunday at midnight |
| 0 0 1 * * | Monthly on the 1st at midnight |
| 0 0 1 1 * | Yearly on Jan 1st at midnight |
| 0 9,17 * * * | Twice daily at 9 AM and 5 PM |
Our cron builder generates standard 5-field POSIX cron expressions compatible with these platforms:
Standard 5-field POSIX cron
Container scheduling
CI/CD workflow schedules
CloudWatch Events (6-field)
Build automation
Serverless timers
Cloud job scheduling
Edge function scheduling
Note: AWS EventBridge uses a 6-field format with an additional year field and requires ? in either day-of-month or day-of-week. Most other platforms use standard 5-field syntax.
Schedule daily or hourly database backups. Example: 0 2 * * * for daily at 2 AM.
Send daily or weekly email summaries. Example: 0 9 * * 1 for Monday 9 AM.
Sync data between systems periodically. Example: */15 * * * * for every 15 minutes.
Generate business reports on schedule. Example: 0 0 1 * * for monthly.