Cron Expression Generator
Build, test, and debug cron schedule expressions with visual presets and plain-English descriptions.
minute
*/5
0-59
hour
*
0-23
day of month
*
1-31
month
*
1-12
day of week
*
0-7
Valid Cron Expression
Custom schedule
Unix Timestamp Converter
Convert between Unix epoch timestamps and human-readable dates →
All cron parsing and scheduling happens locally in your browser. Your expressions never leave your device. The next-execution calculator uses your system clock.
A cron expression is a string of five fields separated by spaces that define a schedule: minutes, hours, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. Our free Cron Expression Generator lets you build expressions visually, read them in plain English, and preview upcoming execution times. All processing is client-side and private.
What Is a Cron Expression?
A cron expression is a schedule definition used by the Unix cron job scheduler to run commands at specified times. It consists of five fields:
| Field | Range | Description | Special chars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (minute) | 0 – 59 | Minute of the hour | * , - / |
| 2 (hour) | 0 – 23 | Hour of the day | * , - / |
| 3 (day of month) | 1 – 31 | Day of the month | * , - / |
| 4 (month) | 1 – 12 | Month of the year | * , - / |
| 5 (day of week) | 0 – 7 | Day of the week (0/7 = Sun) | * , - / |
How to Use the Cron Generator
- Choose a preset — Click any preset button for common schedules like "Every 5 Minutes" or "Daily at midnight".
- Or type manually — Enter a 5-field cron expression directly into the input box.
- Read the description — The tool translates your expression into plain English instantly.
- Preview future runs — See the next 3–20 execution times calculated from the current moment.
- Adjust the count — Use the dropdown to show more or fewer future execution times.
Special Characters
*Any value (wildcard). Matches every possible value in the field.,List separator.1,3,5matches values 1, 3, and 5.-Range.1-5matches values 1 through 5 (inclusive)./Step.*/15matches every 15 units (0, 15, 30, 45).
Key Features
- Visual Presets
Quickly select from 12 common cron schedules with one click.
- Plain English Translation
Instantly converts cron syntax into human-readable descriptions.
- Future Execution Preview
See the next 3–20 execution times calculated from now.
- Field Breakdown
Visual split of all 5 cron fields with their ranges and current values.
- Validation & Error Feedback
Clear error messages pinpoint invalid fields and syntax issues.
- 100% Client-Side
All parsing and scheduling runs locally. No data ever leaves your browser.
Common Use Cases
- Server Automation: Schedule backup scripts, log rotation, and cleanup jobs on Linux servers.
- CI/CD Pipelines: Configure scheduled builds, tests, and deployments in GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or GitLab CI.
- Data Pipelines: Trigger ETL jobs, database exports, and report generation at regular intervals.
- Monitoring: Run health checks, uptime monitors, and alerting scripts on a cron schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a cron expression look like?
*/15 * * * * means "every 15 minutes". 0 9 * * 1-5 means
"weekdays at 9 AM". Each of the 5 fields represents: minute, hour, day of month, month, and
day of week.Can I use month names instead of numbers?
Does this tool support special strings like @daily or @reboot?
@yearly, @reboot, or
6-field (with seconds) and 7-field (with year) syntaxes are not supported.Why are there both day-of-month and day-of-week fields?
0 0 1 * 5 runs on the 1st of every month AND every Friday (not only Fridays that are the 1st).