Developer Tools
Cron Expression Generator and Explainer
Build and understand cron schedules: plain-language descriptions, the next 10 run times, presets, and a syntax cheat sheet.
Reading the schedule…
Common schedules
Next 10 runs
Reading the schedule…
Cron syntax cheat sheet
| * | Every value of the field |
| 1,15 | A list of values |
| 1-5 | A range of values |
| */15 | Every 15th value (step) |
| JAN–DEC, SUN–SAT | Month and weekday names (case-insensitive) |
| @hourly @daily @weekly @monthly @yearly | Shortcuts for common schedules |
What is this tool?
Cron schedules power servers, CI pipelines, and cloud jobs, but expressions like 0 9 * * 1-5 are hard to read. Type or edit each field and instantly see what it means in plain language, check it for mistakes, and preview exactly when it will run next.
Standard cron uses five fields. Each accepts * (any), single values, lists (1,15), ranges (1-5), steps (*/15), and month or weekday names (JAN, MON). Shortcuts such as @daily and @hourly are expanded automatically.
When both day-of-month and day-of-week are restricted, cron runs when either matches — the tool follows this classic Vixie cron rule. Many cloud schedulers run in UTC, so compare both time zones before deploying.
How to use the Cron Expression Generator
- Type a cron expression, or edit the five fields: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week.
- Read the plain-language description to confirm the schedule.
- Check the next 10 run times in your time zone or in UTC.
- Start from a common schedule, then copy the expression into crontab, GitHub Actions, Kubernetes, or your cloud scheduler.
Examples
Weekdays at 9:00
0 9 * * 1-5
At 09:00 AM, Monday through Friday
Frequently asked questions
How do I run a job every 5 minutes?
Use */5 * * * *. The */5 in the minute field means every fifth minute: 0, 5, 10, and so on.
Is Sunday 0 or 7?
Both. In standard cron, 0 and 7 both mean Sunday, and 1 is Monday. You can also write SUN, MON, and so on.
Does it support seconds or Quartz syntax?
It uses the standard five-field format found in crontab, GitHub Actions, and Kubernetes CronJobs. Quartz-style six- or seven-field expressions with ? and L aren't supported.
Which time zone will my job run in?
That depends on the system: crontab uses the server's time zone, while GitHub Actions and many cloud schedulers use UTC. Switch the preview to UTC to check.
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