Cron Expression Generator
Build cron schedule expressions visually. Select values with dropdowns, use preset templates, see human-readable descriptions and next 10 run times. Supports both standard 5-field and 6-field (with seconds) cron syntax.
Generated Expression
* * * * *Every minute
Preset Templates
Minute
Matches every minute
Hour
Matches every hour
Day of Month
Matches every day of month
Month
Matches every month
Day of Week
Matches every day of week
Next 10 Scheduled Runs
Cron Syntax Reference
| Field | Range | Special Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0-59 | * , - / |
| Hour | 0-23 | * , - / |
| Day of Month | 1-31 | * , - / |
| Month | 1-12 or JAN-DEC | * , - / |
| Day of Week | 0-6 or SUN-SAT | * , - / |
* — matches all values
, — list separator (e.g. 1,3,5)
- — range (e.g. 1-5)
/ — step (e.g. */5 = every 5)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a string of 5 fields (minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week) that defines a recurring schedule used by Unix cron, CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes CronJobs, and cloud schedulers like AWS EventBridge.
How do I build a cron expression?
Use the visual editor to select values for each field. Choose from 'every', 'specific values', 'range', or 'step' modes for each field. The generated expression updates in real time.
What does */5 mean in a cron expression?
*/5 means 'every 5th value'. In the minute field, */5 runs at minutes 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 — effectively every 5 minutes.
What is the difference between 5-field and 6-field cron?
Standard 5-field cron uses minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. The 6-field variant adds a seconds field at the beginning, used by systems like Spring Scheduler, Quartz, and some cloud platforms that need sub-minute precision.
Where are cron expressions used?
Cron expressions are used in Unix/Linux crontab, GitHub Actions, AWS EventBridge/CloudWatch, Kubernetes CronJobs, Vercel Cron, Google Cloud Scheduler, Jenkins, Spring Scheduler, Quartz, and many task scheduling systems.