Cron Expression Generator & Explainer
Build and understand cron expressions with a visual editor. Presets for common schedules included.
* * * * *Quick Presets
Syntax Reference
What is a Cron Expression?
A cron expression is a string of five fields that defines a schedule for running commands or scripts automatically. It is used in Unix/Linux cron jobs, CI/CD pipelines, cloud schedulers (AWS CloudWatch, Google Cloud Scheduler), and task automation.
Cron Format
The five fields are: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, where 0 is Sunday).
About This Tool
The Cron Expression Generator helps you build, validate, and understand cron job schedules using a visual interface. Instead of memorizing the five-field cron syntax, select the schedule from intuitive controls and see the human-readable description instantly.
Key Features
- Visual Schedule Builder — Select minute, hour, day, month, and weekday fields from dropdowns. The expression updates in real time.
- Human-Readable Description — Translates the cron expression into plain English so you can verify the schedule before deploying.
- Common Presets — One-click presets for every minute, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly schedules.
- Copy Expression — Copy the cron expression to clipboard for use in crontab, GitHub Actions, or any scheduler.
- Free and No Signup — Generate unlimited cron expressions without an account or payment.
Common Use Cases
- Scheduling a database backup to run every night at 2 AM using server cron or AWS EventBridge
- Setting up a weekly report email that sends every Monday morning through a task scheduler
- Configuring a GitHub Actions workflow on a recurring schedule for nightly builds or weekly updates
- Understanding an existing cron expression in a legacy system by reading its human-readable translation
- Creating a scheduled task in Kubernetes CronJobs for periodic cleanup or data processing
How to Use
Select a preset or manually set the minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week fields. The expression and description update instantly. Copy and paste into your crontab, workflow config, or scheduler.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cron syntax and how does each field work?
A cron expression has five fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, Sunday=0). Each field accepts a number, * for any value, ranges like 1-5, step values like */15, or comma-separated lists.
What does */5 mean in a cron expression?
*/5 means every 5 units. In the minute field it means every 5 minutes (0, 5, 10...). In the hour field it means every 5 hours. The step syntax applies to all five fields.
Why does my cron job run at an unexpected time?
Cron jobs run in the server timezone, which may differ from your local timezone. Check your server or scheduler timezone settings and verify the field order: minute hour day month weekday.
Does this tool support non-standard cron syntax like @daily?
This tool generates standard five-field cron expressions. Shortcuts like @daily and @weekly work in some schedulers but are not universal across all environments.
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