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Cron Job Every 5 Minutes: Complete Setup Guide (2025)

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Cron Job Every 5 Minutes: Complete Setup Guide (2025)

Running tasks every 5 minutes is one of the most popular cron job intervals for monitoring, API calls, queue processing, and real-time data updates.

This guide shows you exactly how to schedule a cron job every 5 minutes with practical examples and troubleshooting.

Quick Answer: Cron Expression for Every 5 Minutes

*/5 * * * * /path/to/your/script.sh

Breakdown:

  • */5 = Every 5 minutes (runs at :00, :05, :10, :15, :20, :25, :30, :35, :40, :45, :50, :55)
  • * = Every hour
  • * = Every day
  • * = Every month
  • * = Every day of week

Result: Your script executes 12 times per hour, 288 times per day.

How to Set Up a Cron Job Every 5 Minutes

Step 1: Open Crontab Editor

crontab -e

Step 2: Add Your Cron Job

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/php /var/www/html/process.php

Step 3: Save and Exit

  • Nano: Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter
  • Vim: Esc, then :wq, then Enter

Step 4: Verify It's Scheduled

crontab -l

You'll see your cron job listed.

Real-World Examples

Example 1: PHP Script Every 5 Minutes

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/php /var/www/html/cron/email-queue.php >> /var/log/cron-email.log 2>&1

What it does:

  • Processes email queue every 5 minutes
  • Logs output to file
  • Captures errors

Example 2: Python Script with Virtual Environment

*/5 * * * * cd /home/user/myapp && /home/user/myapp/venv/bin/python check_api.py

What it does:

  • Activates virtual environment
  • Runs API health check
  • Executes every 5 minutes

Example 3: Node.js Script

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/node /home/user/app/scraper.js >> /var/log/scraper.log 2>&1

Example 4: Curl API Call Every 5 Minutes

*/5 * * * * curl -X POST https://api.example.com/ping -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN"

Example 5: Database Cleanup

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/mysql -u root -pPASSWORD -e "DELETE FROM sessions WHERE expires < NOW()" mydb

Business Hours Only (9 AM - 5 PM)

Want to run every 5 minutes but only during work hours?

*/5 9-17 * * * /path/to/script.sh

Runs: Every 5 minutes from 9:00 AM to 5:55 PM

Weekdays Only (Monday - Friday)

*/5 9-17 * * 1-5 /path/to/script.sh

Runs: Every 5 minutes, business hours, weekdays only

Performance: Can My Server Handle Every 5 Minutes?

Running a script 288 times per day means:

✅ Safe for:

  • API health checks (< 1 second)
  • Queue processing (< 5 seconds)
  • Log rotation
  • Cache clearing
  • Session cleanup

⚠️ Be Careful With:

  • Database heavy operations
  • Large file uploads
  • Complex calculations
  • External API calls (rate limits!)

Quick Calculation

If your script takes 2 seconds to run:

  • Per hour: 12 runs × 2s = 24 seconds
  • Per day: 288 runs × 2s = 576 seconds = 9.6 minutes total

That's 0.67% of your day processing. Very efficient!

Alternative Intervals Comparison

| Interval | Cron Expression | Runs Per Hour | Runs Per Day | |----------|----------------|---------------|--------------| | Every 1 minute | * * * * * | 60 | 1,440 | | Every 5 minutes | */5 * * * * | 12 | 288 | | Every 10 minutes | */10 * * * * | 6 | 144 | | Every 15 minutes | */15 * * * * | 4 | 96 | | Every 30 minutes | */30 * * * * | 2 | 48 |

Preventing Overlapping Executions

If your script might take longer than 5 minutes, use file locking:

*/5 * * * * flock -n /tmp/myscript.lock /path/to/script.sh

How it works:

  • flock creates a lock file
  • -n = non-blocking (skip if already running)
  • Prevents multiple instances running simultaneously

Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

❌ Mistake 1: Running at Specific Minute Only

5 * * * * /script.sh  # Only runs at :05 each hour, NOT every 5 minutes!

✅ Fix:

*/5 * * * * /script.sh

❌ Mistake 2: Script Not Executable

*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh  # Permission denied!

✅ Fix:

chmod +x /path/to/script.sh

❌ Mistake 3: Relative Paths

*/5 * * * * ./script.sh  # Cron doesn't know your current directory

✅ Fix: Use absolute paths:

*/5 * * * * /home/user/scripts/script.sh

❌ Mistake 4: Missing Environment Variables

Cron has a minimal environment. Your $PATH might not include /usr/local/bin:

✅ Fix: Set environment in crontab:

PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
SHELL=/bin/bash

*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh

Troubleshooting: Cron Job Not Running Every 5 Minutes?

1. Check Cron Service is Running

sudo systemctl status cron

If stopped:

sudo systemctl start cron
sudo systemctl enable cron

2. Check Cron Logs

Ubuntu/Debian:

grep CRON /var/log/syslog | tail -50

CentOS/RHEL:

tail -50 /var/log/cron

3. Test Script Manually

/path/to/your/script.sh

If it fails manually, cron can't run it either.

4. Add Logging

*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh >> /tmp/cron-output.log 2>&1

Check the log:

tail -f /tmp/cron-output.log

5. Check Script Permissions

ls -l /path/to/script.sh

Should show -rwxr-xr-x (executable)

Different Start Times

Want to run every 5 minutes but start at :02?

2-59/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh

Runs at: :02, :07, :12, :17, :22, :27, :32, :37, :42, :47, :52, :57

Or explicitly:

2,7,12,17,22,27,32,37,42,47,52,57 * * * * /path/to/script.sh

Real-World Use Cases

1. Social Media Monitoring

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/python3 /home/user/monitor-mentions.py

Check Twitter/Reddit mentions every 5 minutes.

2. Stock Market Data

*/5 9-16 * * 1-5 /home/trader/fetch-prices.sh

Update stock prices during market hours.

3. Website Uptime Monitoring

*/5 * * * * curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://mysite.com | grep 200 || mail -s "Site Down!" admin@example.com

4. Queue Processing (Laravel)

*/5 * * * * cd /var/www/html && php artisan queue:work --stop-when-empty

5. Cache Warming

*/5 * * * * curl -s https://mysite.com/cache/warm > /dev/null 2>&1

Monitoring Your 5-Minute Cron Jobs

Running critical tasks every 5 minutes? Monitor them properly:

Cron Job Every 5 Minutes: Cheat Sheet

# Basic - Every 5 minutes, 24/7
*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh

# With logging
*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh >> /var/log/myscript.log 2>&1

# Business hours (9 AM - 5 PM)
*/5 9-17 * * * /path/to/script.sh

# Weekdays only
*/5 * * * 1-5 /path/to/script.sh

# Business hours + weekdays
*/5 9-17 * * 1-5 /path/to/script.sh

# With environment
*/5 * * * * /bin/bash -c 'source /home/user/.bashrc && /path/to/script.sh'

# Prevent overlapping
*/5 * * * * flock -n /tmp/script.lock /path/to/script.sh

# Start at :02 instead of :00
2-59/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh

# PHP script
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/php /var/www/cron.php

# Python script
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/python3 /home/user/script.py

# Node.js script
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/node /home/user/app.js

Disable/Stop Cron Job

Temporarily Disable (Comment Out)

crontab -e

Add # at the start:

# */5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh

Permanently Remove

crontab -e

Delete the line entirely.

Remove All Cron Jobs

crontab -r  # WARNING: Deletes ALL your cron jobs!

Testing Without Waiting 5 Minutes

Method 1: Run Every Minute Temporarily

* * * * * /path/to/script.sh

Test for a few minutes, then change back to */5.

Method 2: Set Next Run Time

23 14 * * * /path/to/script.sh

Set to run at 2:23 PM today, observe, then change to */5.

Method 3: Manual Execution

/path/to/script.sh

System Crontab vs User Crontab

User Crontab (Recommended)

crontab -e
*/5 * * * * /home/user/script.sh

Runs as your user account.

System Crontab (Requires Root)

Edit /etc/crontab:

sudo nano /etc/crontab

Add:

*/5 * * * * username /path/to/script.sh

Must specify username.

Environment Variables in Cron

Cron runs with minimal environment. Add variables at the top of crontab:

PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
SHELL=/bin/bash
MAILTO=admin@example.com

*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh

Or in the cron line:

*/5 * * * * ENV_VAR=value /path/to/script.sh

Performance Best Practices

1. Keep Scripts Fast

Target < 5 seconds execution time:

*/5 * * * * timeout 5 /path/to/script.sh

2. Use Background Jobs for Heavy Tasks

*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh &

3. Implement Exponential Backoff

If API calls fail, wait longer before retry.

4. Log Execution Times

*/5 * * * * time /path/to/script.sh >> /var/log/timing.log 2>&1

5. Monitor Resource Usage

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/time -v /path/to/script.sh >> /var/log/resources.log 2>&1

Need Reliable Hosting for Frequent Cron Jobs?

Running tasks every 5 minutes (288 times/day) requires a stable server:

Conclusion

Setting up a cron job every 5 minutes is straightforward:

*/5 * * * * /path/to/your/script.sh

Key Points:

  • ✅ Runs 12 times per hour (288 times per day)
  • ✅ Use */5 notation
  • ✅ Always use absolute paths
  • ✅ Make scripts executable
  • ✅ Add logging for debugging
  • ✅ Use flock to prevent overlaps
  • ✅ Monitor critical jobs

Next Steps:

  1. Create custom cron expressions
  2. Decode existing cron jobs
  3. Save your cron schedules

Related Reading:

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