How to Build a Cron Expression
Create scheduled task expressions for Linux cron, cloud functions, and CI pipelines without memorising the syntax.
Tool Used
Cron Expression Generator
Open the Cron Generator
Navigate to /tools/time/cron-generator.
Pick how often the job should run
Choose a preset such as every minute, every hour, every day, every week, or every month. The tool fills in the five cron fields automatically based on your choice.
Adjust the minute field
Use the minute selector to pick a specific minute (like 0 for the top of the hour) or a range (like every 15 minutes). The first cron field controls minute (0 to 59).
Adjust the hour, day, month, and weekday fields
Repeat the same selection process for the remaining four fields. Hour is 0 to 23 in 24 hour format. Day of month is 1 to 31. Month is 1 to 12. Day of week is 0 (Sunday) to 6 (Saturday). Use an asterisk to mean every value.
Read the plain English summary
Below the cron string, the tool explains what the schedule means in plain English (for example, At 09:00 on Monday). Use this to confirm the schedule does what you intend before deploying it.
Copy and paste into your scheduler
Click Copy to grab the cron expression and paste it into your Linux crontab, GitHub Actions workflow, AWS EventBridge rule, Azure Logic App, or any scheduler that uses cron syntax.
All done!
You are ready to use Cron Expression Generator like a pro.