What is a cron expression?

A cron expression is a string of 5 (or 6) fields separated by spaces that defines a schedule for automated tasks. The fields represent minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, Sunday=0). For example, '0 8 * * 1' means 'every Monday at 8:00 AM'.

What does '*/15 * * * *' mean?

'*/15 * * * *' means 'every 15 minutes'. The '*/15' in the minute field uses step notation — it means 'every 15th minute starting from 0', so the job runs at :00, :15, :30, and :45 of every hour, every day.

What is the difference between '0 0 * * 0' and '0 0 * * 7'?

Both '0 0 * * 0' and '0 0 * * 7' mean midnight on Sunday. In cron, both 0 and 7 represent Sunday in the day-of-week field. Our explainer handles both values and treats them identically.

How do I schedule a job for weekdays only?

Use a range in the day-of-week field. For example, '30 9 * * 1-5' schedules a job at 9:30 AM Monday through Friday. The '1-5' means Monday (1) through Friday (5).

What do commas mean in a cron expression?

Commas let you specify a list of values. For example, '0 0,12 * * *' means 'at midnight and noon every day'. The hour field '0,12' means 'at hour 0 and hour 12'.

Is there a limit to how often a cron job can run?

The minimum interval for a standard cron job is 1 minute — '* * * * *' runs every minute. For sub-minute scheduling, you need a different scheduling system. Our explainer works with standard 5-field cron syntax.

Cron Expression Explainer

Decode any cron schedule into plain English

Cron Expression

Minute
0–59

Hour
0–23

Day of Month
1–31

Month
1–12

Day of Week
0–6 (Sun=0)

Cron Expression Explainer

Cron Expression

Common Expressions

Next 10 Run Times