Cron Expression Builder & Explainer

Build cron schedules visually, paste any cron expression to get a plain-English explanation, or choose from common presets. See the next scheduled run times instantly.

* * * * *
Every minute
Minute
0–59, * , - /
Hour
0–23, * , - /
Day (Month)
1–31, * , - /
Month
1–12 or JAN-DEC
Day (Week)
0–7, SUN-SAT

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cron expression?

A cron expression is a string of 5 fields that defines a recurring schedule: minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. Each field accepts values, wildcards (*), ranges (1-5), lists (1,3,5), and step values (*/15). Cron is used by Linux systems, CI/CD pipelines, cloud schedulers, and databases.

What does */15 mean in a cron expression?

The / character defines a step. */15 in the minute field means "every 15 minutes" (0, 15, 30, 45). 0-30/5 would mean "every 5 minutes, between minute 0 and 30." Step values are supported in all five fields.

What's the difference between day-of-month and day-of-week?

Both control when a job runs by date. Day-of-month (1–31) targets a specific calendar date. Day-of-week (0–6, where 0 and 7 both equal Sunday) targets a specific weekday. If both are set (not *), most cron implementations run the job when either condition is true.

How do I run a job every 5 minutes on weekdays only?

Use: */5 * * * 1-5. This runs every 5 minutes (minute field: */5), every hour (*), every day of the month (*), every month (*), but only Monday through Friday (1-5).

Schedule jobs via API

Our API lets you create, update, and monitor cron jobs programmatically. Get webhook callbacks on every execution, with logs and retry support built in.

View API Docs →