⏱️ Cron Expression Generator
Runs daily at 09:00
Choose from simple options — "every N minutes," "daily at a set time," "weekly on a set day," or "monthly on a set date" — and this tool automatically generates the matching cron expression, along with a plain-English description of what it means. Handy for setting up a server's scheduled tasks or a CI/CD pipeline schedule.
How to use
- Choose the schedule pattern you want (every N minutes, hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly).
- Enter the relevant details, like time, weekday, or day of month.
- The cron expression is generated automatically — use "Copy" to copy it.
How the calculation works
cron runs tasks automatically at set times on Linux, macOS and similar systems. Its schedule has five fields: minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week. Pick a common pattern and this tool writes the expression. • minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day (1–31), month (1–12), weekday (0–6, 0 is Sunday) • "*" means every value, "*/15" every 15, "1-5" a range and "1,15" a list. Output by pattern • Every N minutes: */N * * * * • Hourly: minute * * * * • Daily: minute hour * * * • Weekly: minute hour * * weekday • Monthly: minute hour day * * The meaning of the expression is also shown in plain language.
Worked example
Every day at 9:00: 0 9 * * * Every Monday at 9:30: 30 9 * * 1 The 1st of every month at 0:00: 0 0 1 * * Every 15 minutes: */15 * * * * In a crontab (edit with crontab -e), the command follows the expression: 0 9 * * * /home/user/backup.sh
Things to be aware of
- cron times use the server's time zone. Cloud servers are often on UTC, so check before scheduling.
- Intervals that do not divide 60, such as */7, restart at minute 0 each hour, so the gap from :56 to :00 is shorter.
- If you set both day of month and day of week, most cron implementations run on days matching either one, not both.
FAQ
How can I verify the generated cron expression is correct?
Paste the generated expression into the Cron Expression Parser tool to see a breakdown of each field and the upcoming run times.
Can I specify multiple weekdays or dates?
No, the current version only supports a single weekday or date. To specify multiple, manually edit the generated expression using commas.
Does this account for time zones?
No, cron expressions themselves don't include time zone information — that depends on the settings of the environment (server or CI tool) running the schedule.