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Cron Expression Builder

Build cron expressions with a visual editor. See human-readable descriptions and the next 5 scheduled run times.

Cron Expression
* * * * *

Every minute

Next 5 Run Times

  1. 1.Thu, May 7, 2026, 08:49 AM
  2. 2.Thu, May 7, 2026, 08:50 AM
  3. 3.Thu, May 7, 2026, 08:51 AM
  4. 4.Thu, May 7, 2026, 08:52 AM
  5. 5.Thu, May 7, 2026, 08:53 AM

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Cron expression format

A standard cron expression has five space-separated fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, where 0 is Sunday). Each field accepts a specific value, * for "every," */N for "every N units," comma-separated lists, and ranges with a hyphen.

Where cron expressions are used

Unix/Linux crontab files run scheduled tasks on servers. Kubernetes CronJobs schedule containerized workloads. GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and AWS EventBridge all accept cron expressions for triggering workflows. Cloudflare Workers Cron Triggers use the same syntax for edge-based scheduled functions.

Common scheduling patterns

0 0 * * * runs at midnight daily. 0 9 * * 1 runs at 9 AM every Monday. */15 * * * * runs every 15 minutes. 0 0 1 * * runs at midnight on the first of each month. These patterns cover the majority of production scheduling needs.

Debugging cron schedules

Cron bugs often come from timezone confusion. The cron daemon runs in the server's timezone unless configured otherwise. Kubernetes CronJobs default to UTC. Always verify which timezone your scheduler uses. This builder shows the next 5 run times in your local timezone so you can confirm the schedule matches your expectations before deploying. For validating your cron-triggered API calls, use our JSON Formatter to inspect response payloads.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a string of five fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) that defines a recurring schedule. Cron daemons on Unix systems, Kubernetes CronJobs, and CI/CD pipelines all use this format.
What does */5 mean in a cron expression?
The */N syntax means "every N units." For example, */5 in the minute field means every 5 minutes (0, 5, 10, 15, ...). */2 in the hour field means every 2 hours.
Is there a 6-field or 7-field cron format?
Some systems like Quartz (Java) and Spring add a seconds field at the start and/or a year field at the end. This tool uses the standard 5-field Unix cron format, which is the most widely supported.
Are the next run times accurate?
The tool calculates run times based on your browser's current time and timezone. The schedule simulation matches standard cron behavior for the 5-field format.