15 Cron Job Examples Every Beginner Should Know (2025 Edition)

Learning cron syntax feels like decoding hieroglyphics. You see 0 */2 * * * and think "what does that even mean?"

You're not alone. Every developer struggles with cron syntax at first.

This guide gives you 15 practical, copy-paste ready cron examples that cover 90% of real-world scheduling needs. Each example includes the cron syntax, plain English explanation, and what it's commonly used for.

No theory. Just examples you can use today.

Understanding the Basics First

Before diving into examples, here's the cron syntax at a glance:

* * * * * command
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └─── Day of week (0-7, Sun=0 or 7)
│ │ │ └───── Month (1-12)
│ │ └─────── Day of month (1-31)
│ └───────── Hour (0-23)
└─────────── Minute (0-59)

Each asterisk (*) means "every":

* * * * * = every minute
0 * * * * = every hour (at minute 0)
0 0 * * * = every day (at midnight)

Now let's see this in action.

Example 1: Run Every Minute

* * * * * /usr/local/bin/check-server.sh

Plain English: Every minute, every hour, every day.

Common Uses:

Health checks
Monitor critical services
Check for new files to process
Real-time data updates

Warning: This runs 1,440 times per day. Make sure your script is fast and lightweight.

Example 2: Run Every 5 Minutes

*/5 * * * * /usr/local/bin/process-queue.sh

Plain English: Every 5 minutes (at :00, :05, :10, :15, etc.)

Common Uses:

Process job queues
Check email for new messages
Sync data between systems
Monitor website uptime

The / Operator: */5 means "every 5th value". Works with any field.

Example 3: Run Every Hour

0 * * * * /usr/local/bin/clear-temp.sh

Plain English: At minute 0 of every hour (1:00, 2:00, 3:00, etc.)

Common Uses:

Clear temporary files
Refresh cache
Hourly reports
Check for updates

Why 0 * * * *? The 0 fixes the minute. Everything else is "every" (*).

Example 4: Run Every 2 Hours

0 */2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup-incremental.sh

Plain English: At minute 0 of every 2nd hour (12:00 AM, 2:00 AM, 4:00 AM, etc.)

Common Uses:

Incremental backups
Data synchronization
Generate reports
Clear application cache

Pattern: 0 */N runs every N hours.

Example 5: Run Once Daily at Midnight

0 0 * * * /usr/local/bin/daily-report.sh

Plain English: At 00:00 (midnight) every day.

Common Uses:

Daily database backups
Generate daily reports
Clean up old files
Reset daily counters

Pro Tip: Midnight is common, so many jobs compete. Consider 2-4 AM for better performance.

Example 6: Run Once Daily at Specific Time

30 14 * * * /usr/local/bin/afternoon-task.sh

Plain English: Every day at 2:30 PM.

Common Uses:

Send scheduled emails
Generate business reports
Trigger afternoon workflows
Scheduled API calls

Reading: 30 14 = minute 30 of hour 14 (2:30 PM in 24-hour format).

Example 7: Run Every Day at Multiple Times

0 6,12,18 * * * /usr/local/bin/tri-daily-check.sh

Plain English: Every day at 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM.

Common Uses:

Check systems during business hours
Send reminders
Three-times-daily backups
Monitor services at peak times

The , Operator: Lists specific values. 6,12,18 means "6 OR 12 OR 18".

Example 8: Run Every Weekday (Monday-Friday)

0 9 * * 1-5 /usr/local/bin/weekday-task.sh

Plain English: At 9:00 AM every weekday (Monday through Friday).

Common Uses:

Business hours automation
Send workday reports
Office hours monitoring
Weekday-only backups

Day Numbers: 0=Sunday, 1=Monday, 2=Tuesday, ..., 6=Saturday, 7=Sunday

The - Operator: Creates ranges. 1-5 = Monday through Friday.

Example 9: Run Every Weekend (Saturday-Sunday)

0 10 * * 6,7 /usr/local/bin/weekend-maintenance.sh

Plain English: At 10:00 AM every Saturday and Sunday.

Common Uses:

Weekend maintenance
Off-hours backups
Low-traffic updates
Weekend reports

Alternative: 0 10 * * 0,6 (Sunday=0, Saturday=6)

Example 10: Run First Day of Every Month

0 3 1 * * /usr/local/bin/monthly-report.sh

Plain English: At 3:00 AM on the 1st day of every month.

Common Uses:

Monthly billing
Generate monthly reports
Archive old data
Reset monthly quotas

Pattern: 0 3 1 * * = minute 0, hour 3, day 1, any month, any day-of-week.

Example 11: Run Last Day of Every Month

This is tricky because months have different lengths. Solution: Run on the 1st and process previous month's data.

0 2 1 * * /usr/local/bin/last-month-report.sh

Plain English: At 2:00 AM on the 1st (processes previous month).

Why This Works: Easier than calculating last day of each month.

Alternative (if you must run on last day):

0 2 28-31 * * [ "$(date +\%d -d tomorrow)" = "01" ] && /usr/local/bin/month-end.sh

Example 12: Run Every Quarter (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct)

0 4 1 1,4,7,10 * /usr/local/bin/quarterly-report.sh

Plain English: At 4:00 AM on the 1st day of January, April, July, and October.

Common Uses:

Quarterly financial reports
Quarterly backups
Seasonal tasks
Compliance reports

Pattern: 1,4,7,10 lists the month numbers.

Example 13: Run Every 30 Minutes

*/30 * * * * /usr/local/bin/half-hour-check.sh

Plain English: At minute 0 and 30 of every hour.

Common Uses:

Frequent monitoring
API polling
Data sync
Queue processing

Alternative (more explicit):

0,30 * * * * /usr/local/bin/half-hour-check.sh

Example 14: Run Monday Morning at 8 AM

0 8 * * 1 /usr/local/bin/monday-morning.sh

Plain English: Every Monday at 8:00 AM.

Common Uses:

Weekly reports
Monday reminders
Start-of-week tasks
Weekly backups

Day 1 = Monday in the cron day-of-week field.

Example 15: Run During Business Hours Only

0 9-17 * * 1-5 /usr/local/bin/business-hours.sh

Plain English: Every hour from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

Common Uses:

Office hours monitoring
Business-hours-only processing
Limit API calls to working hours
Daytime-only notifications

Runs: 9 times per weekday (9 AM, 10 AM, ..., 5 PM) = 45 times per week.

Common Patterns Summary

| Pattern | Cron Expression | When It Runs | |---------|----------------|--------------| | Every minute | * * * * * | 1,440 times/day | | Every 5 minutes | */5 * * * * | 288 times/day | | Every 15 minutes | */15 * * * * | 96 times/day | | Every hour | 0 * * * * | 24 times/day | | Every 2 hours | 0 */2 * * * | 12 times/day | | Every 6 hours | 0 */6 * * * | 4 times/day | | Daily at midnight | 0 0 * * * | Once/day | | Daily at 3 AM | 0 3 * * * | Once/day | | Twice daily | 0 6,18 * * * | 2 times/day | | Weekdays only | 0 9 * * 1-5 | 5 times/week | | Weekends only | 0 10 * * 6,7 | 2 times/week | | Weekly (Sunday) | 0 2 * * 0 | Once/week | | Monthly (1st) | 0 3 1 * * | Once/month | | Yearly (Jan 1) | 0 4 1 1 * | Once/year |

Operators Quick Reference

| Operator | Meaning | Example | Result | |----------|---------|---------|--------| | * | Every/any | * * * * * | Every minute | | */N | Every Nth | */5 * * * * | Every 5 minutes | | , | List | 0 1,13 * * * | 1 AM and 1 PM | | - | Range | 0 9-17 * * * | 9 AM through 5 PM | | Combined | Mix all | */10 9-17 * * 1-5 | Every 10 min, 9-5, weekdays |

Testing Your Cron Jobs

Before deploying to production:

1. Validate the syntax: Use our Cron Expression Generator to verify your expression does what you think.

2. Test with frequent execution first:

# Instead of daily at 2 AM
0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh

# Start with every minute for testing
* * * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh

# Verify it works, then change to daily

3. Add logging:

* * * * * /usr/local/bin/script.sh >> /var/log/cron-test.log 2>&1

4. Check the logs:

tail -f /var/log/cron-test.log

Next Steps

You now have 15 working cron examples. Here's what to do next:

Pick one that fits your need (copy the syntax)
Modify the command (your script path)
Add it to crontab (crontab -e)
Add logging (append >> /var/log/yourjob.log 2>&1)
Test with frequent execution (every minute first)
Change to actual schedule once verified

Pro tip: Use our Cron Expression Generator to:

Build expressions visually
See exactly when jobs will run
Validate syntax before deploying
Copy perfect expressions

Ready to build your custom schedule? Try the generator now!

Learn More About Cron:

The Ultimate Guide to Cron Jobs - Complete tutorial
Cron Operators Explained: *, /, -, and , - Deep dive into syntax
Why Your Cron Job Isn't Running - Troubleshooting guide

Practical Examples:

10 Essential Cron Jobs for Web Developers - Production-ready scripts
5 Real-World Cron Job Examples - Complete working examples
Automate Database Backups with Cron - Backup automation

Advanced Topics:

Environment Variables in Cron Jobs - Fix PATH issues
Timezones and Cron Jobs - Handle timezone problems
Where Did My Cron Job Output Go? - Logging best practices

Keywords: cron job examples, cron syntax examples, crontab examples, cron schedule examples, linux cron examples, cron expression examples, cron job tutorial, learn cron

Understanding the Basics First

Example 1: Run Every Minute

Example 2: Run Every 5 Minutes

Example 3: Run Every Hour

Example 4: Run Every 2 Hours

Example 5: Run Once Daily at Midnight

Example 6: Run Once Daily at Specific Time

Example 7: Run Every Day at Multiple Times

Example 8: Run Every Weekday (Monday-Friday)

Example 9: Run Every Weekend (Saturday-Sunday)

Example 10: Run First Day of Every Month

Example 11: Run Last Day of Every Month

Example 12: Run Every Quarter (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct)

Example 13: Run Every 30 Minutes

Example 14: Run Monday Morning at 8 AM

Example 15: Run During Business Hours Only

Common Patterns Summary

Operators Quick Reference

Testing Your Cron Jobs

Next Steps

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