Cron Command Generator & Parser

Generate and parse cron expressions for scheduling tasks on Linux, Unix, and other automation systems.

Build Your Cron Expression:

0-59
0-23
1-31
1-12
0-6 (Sun=0)
Easy to understand description of the schedule
Or use a template to populate the fields above

Examples & References

Common Cron Examples

  • 0 0 * * * - Daily at midnight
  • */5 * * * * - Every 5 minutes
  • 0 9 * * 1-5 - Weekdays at 9 AM
  • 0 0 1 * * - First of every month
  • 0 0 * * 0 - Every Sunday at midnight
  • 30 2 * * * - Daily at 2:30 AM
  • 0 */6 * * * - Every 6 hours
  • 0 8-17 * * 1-5 - Every hour 8-5 PM, weekdays

Cron Format Explained

Pattern Format: minute hour day month day_of_week

Field Details:

Cron expressions consist of 5 fields separated by spaces:

  • Minute: 0-59
  • Hour: 0-23 (24-hour format)
  • Day of Month: 1-31
  • Month: 1-12 (or JAN-DEC)
  • Day of Week: 0-6 (Sunday=0, or SUN-SAT)

Special Characters:

  • * - Any value (wildcard)
  • , - List separator (e.g., 1,3,5)
  • - - Range (e.g., 1-5)
  • / - Step values (e.g., */5)

Use Cases & Tips

Common Use Cases:

  • Backups: Schedule regular database or file backups
  • Log Rotation: Clean up old log files periodically
  • System Maintenance: Run cleanup scripts at off-peak hours
  • Data Processing: Trigger batch jobs and ETL processes
  • Monitoring: Regular health checks and alerts
  • Updates: Automatic software or content updates

Best Practices:

  • Use absolute paths in cron commands
  • Set environment variables if needed
  • Redirect output to log files for debugging
  • Test expressions before deployment
  • Consider timezone settings on your server

Quick Tip:

  • Parse existing cron: To analyze an existing cron expression (e.g., "0 3 * * *"), select all text in any input field above and paste the full expression. It will automatically populate all fields and show the human-readable description.

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