Cron Expression Generator
Visually build cron expressions with dropdown controls. See human-readable descriptions and preview the next 5 execution times instantly.
How to Use the Cron Expression Generator
1
Select Preset or Build Manually
Click a common preset button like "Every 5 min" or use the dropdowns to fine-tune each cron field.
2
Read the Description
The human-readable description explains exactly when your cron job will run — e.g. "At minute 0, every hour, every day."
3
Preview Run Times
Check the next 5 execution times calculated from the current moment to verify your schedule is correct.
Cron Expression Field Reference
| Field | Required | Allowed Values | Wildcards | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minute | Yes | 0-59 | *, */n, a-b, a,b | */15 (every 15 min) |
| Hour | Yes | 0-23 | *, */n, a-b, a,b | 9-17 (9 AM to 5 PM) |
| Day of Month | Yes | 1-31 | *, */n, a-b, a,b | 1,15 (1st and 15th) |
| Month | Yes | 1-12 | *, */n, a-b, a,b | */3 (every quarter) |
| Day of Week | Yes | 0-7 (0=Sun) | *, */n, a-b, a,b | 1-5 (weekdays) |
Frequently Asked Questions
A cron expression is a string consisting of five fields separated by spaces that define a schedule for recurring tasks. Each field represents a time unit: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. Cron expressions are used in Unix-like operating systems, Kubernetes CronJobs, AWS EventBridge, and many other scheduling systems to automate recurring jobs.
A cron expression has five fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-7, where 0 and 7 are Sunday). Each field can contain a specific value, a range (e.g. 1-5), a step (e.g. */15), a list (e.g. 1,3,5), or an asterisk (*) meaning 'every'. For example, '0 9 * * 1-5' means 'At 9:00 AM, Monday through Friday'.
The five fields in a standard cron expression are: 1) Minute (0-59) — when the job runs within the hour, 2) Hour (0-23) — the hour of day, 3) Day of Month (1-31) — the day of the month, 4) Month (1-12) — the month of the year, and 5) Day of Week (0-7) — the day of the week (0 and 7 both represent Sunday). All fields support wildcards (*), ranges (-), steps (*/), and lists (,).
Yes. This cron expression generator provides a next-5-run-times preview that calculates the next execution times based on your current local time. You can visually build your expression using the dropdown controls and immediately see the human-readable description and upcoming schedule. This helps catch scheduling errors before deploying to production.
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