Cron Expression Generator & Explainer
Two tools in one: use the Builder to click your schedule and get the expression, or switch to Explainer to paste any cron string and get plain English plus the next 5 run times. Supports all standard 5-field cron syntax.
Quick presets
* * * * * Runs
Every minute
Next 5 scheduled runs
Meaning
Next 5 runs
Cron Syntax Reference
A cron expression has 5 space-separated fields: minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week. Each field accepts specific values, ranges, steps, or lists.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| * | Every value | `* * * * *` — every minute |
| n | Specific value | `30 * * * *` — at minute 30 of every hour |
| n-m | Range | `0 9-17 * * *` — every hour 9am–5pm |
| */n | Every n steps | `*/15 * * * *` — every 15 minutes |
| a,b,c | List | `0 8,12,18 * * *` — at 8am, noon, 6pm |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cron expression? ▼
A cron expression is a 5-field string used to schedule recurring tasks on Unix-like systems. The fields represent minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of month (1–31), month (1–12), and day of week (0–6, where 0=Sunday). Example: `0 2 * * 1-5` runs at 2:00 AM Monday through Friday.
What does * mean in a cron expression? ▼
`*` means "every valid value" for that field. `* * * * *` runs every minute. `0 * * * *` runs every hour at minute 0. `0 0 * * *` runs daily at midnight.
What does */ mean in cron? ▼
`*/n` means "every n units". `*/5` in the minute field means every 5 minutes. `*/2` in the hour field means every 2 hours. `*/15 * * * *` runs at 0, 15, 30, and 45 minutes past every hour.
How do I run a cron job on weekdays only? ▼
Use `1-5` in the day-of-week field. `0 9 * * 1-5` runs at 9:00 AM Monday through Friday. Days are numbered 0=Sunday, 1=Monday, 2=Tuesday, 3=Wednesday, 4=Thursday, 5=Friday, 6=Saturday.
What is the difference between cron and crontab? ▼
`cron` is the background daemon that executes scheduled tasks. `crontab` (cron table) is the configuration file that defines what runs and when. You edit your crontab with `crontab -e` on most Unix systems.
Why does my cron job use UTC time? ▼
Cron uses the system timezone. On many servers (especially cloud VMs), the system timezone is UTC by default. If your job needs to run at 9 AM your local time, convert that to UTC first. For example, 9 AM CET (UTC+1) = `0 8 * * *` in UTC.
Does this work for AWS CloudWatch, GitHub Actions, or Kubernetes CronJobs? ▼
Yes for most uses. AWS CloudWatch Events and GitHub Actions cron syntax use the same 5-field standard format. Kubernetes CronJobs also use 5-field cron. Some platforms add a 6th field for seconds — that is not standard cron and is not handled by this tool.