What is Cron Expression Generator?
Cron expression generator for visual Linux/Unix scheduled task configuration. Cron format: `min hour day month weekday` (5 fields) or `sec min hour day month weekday` (6 fields with seconds). Special characters: `*` (any), `,` (list), `-` (range), `/` (step). Examples: `*/5 * * * *` = every 5 minutes, `0 9 * * 1-5` = weekdays at 9:00 AM. Shows the next 5 execution times in real time to verify correctness. Perfect for crontab, GitHub Actions, and CI/CD scheduled jobs.
Use Cases
- ◆Linux crontab scheduled task setup
- ◆GitHub Actions scheduled triggers
- ◆CI/CD timed builds
- ◆Database backup scheduling
- ◆Log rotation configuration
How to Use
- 1Enter or select a cron expression
- 2Visually adjust each field
- 3Check next execution times
- 4Copy the expression
Features
- ✓Visual configuration
- ✓Real-time preview
- ✓Common presets
- ✓Syntax validation
- ✓Next execution times
FAQ
What are the 5 cron fields?
Format: `min hour day month weekday`. Minute (0-59), Hour (0-23), Day of month (1-31), Month (1-12), Day of week (0-7, where 0 and 7 = Sunday). E.g., `30 8 1 * *` = 1st of every month at 8:30 AM.
What does */5 * * * * mean?
Every 5 minutes. `*/5` in the minute field means every 5 steps starting from 0 (0, 5, 10, 15...). Other fields are `*` (any). So it runs every 5 minutes of every day.
How do I express "weekdays at 9 AM"?
`0 9 * * 1-5`. Minute=0, Hour=9, Day=any, Month=any, Weekday=Monday through Friday (1-5).
What is the difference between 5-field and 6-field cron?
Standard cron (Vixie) has 5 fields (min hour day month weekday). Some systems (Quartz, Spring) support 6 fields with seconds as the first field. Linux crontab uses 5 fields.
Is my configuration uploaded anywhere?
No. All cron parsing and next-execution calculation runs locally in your browser.
Are 0 0 * * 0 and 0 0 * * 7 the same?
Yes. In standard cron, day-of-week 0 and 7 both mean Sunday. But using 0 consistently is recommended to avoid confusion.