Cron Expression Builder
Used 6,100 times
Switch between Builder and Parser modes. Builder lets you compose a cron expression field-by-field and shows the next 5 scheduled runs. Parser takes any cron string and explains it in plain English.
* * * * *
Runs every minute.
Next 5 Scheduled Runs
- 1Sat, May 16, 2026, 10:09 PM
- 2Sat, May 16, 2026, 10:10 PM
- 3Sat, May 16, 2026, 10:11 PM
- 4Sat, May 16, 2026, 10:12 PM
- 5Sat, May 16, 2026, 10:13 PM
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What is a Cron Expression?
A cron expression is a string of five fields — minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week — that define a recurring schedule for Unix cron, GitHub Actions, Kubernetes CronJobs, AWS EventBridge, and most CI/CD systems. Each field accepts a specific value, a wildcard (*), a range (1-5), a list (1,3,5), or a step (*/15).
How to Use
- Builder mode — Set each field using Every / Specific / Range / Step / List controls. A live cron string and explanation update as you type.
- Parser mode — Paste any existing cron expression to get a plain-English description and the next 5 scheduled run times.
- Use presets (e.g. Every hour, Every weekday at 9 AM) as a starting point.
Common Cron Mistakes
- Wrong field count — Standard cron has 5 fields. Some systems (AWS, GitHub Actions) add a 6th seconds field at the front — check your platform's docs.
- Day-of-month + day-of-week interaction — When both are non-
*, most cron implementations use OR logic (runs if either matches). - Timezone confusion — Cron runs in the server's local timezone by default. For UTC-pinned schedules, set
TZ=UTCor use your platform's timezone setting.
FAQs
What does */15 * * * * mean?
Run every 15 minutes: at :00, :15, :30, and :45 of every hour, every day. The step syntax */n means "every n units".
How do I schedule something every weekday at 9 AM?
0 9 * * 1-5 — minute 0, hour 9, any day-of-month, any month, Monday through Friday (1–5).
Is Sunday 0 or 7?
Both. Most implementations accept 0 and 7 as Sunday in the day-of-week field. Monday is always 1.