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How to Build Cron Expressions
The Cron Builder provides a visual interface for constructing cron schedule strings — with a live preview of the next run times.
- Use the dropdowns or input fields to set minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week.
- View the generated cron expression and its human-readable description.
- Check the 'Next runs' preview to verify the schedule is correct, then copy the expression.
Understanding Cron Syntax
A cron expression has five fields: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day-of-month (1–31), month (1–12), and day-of-week (0–7, where 0 and 7 are Sunday). Special characters include * (any), , (list), - (range), and / (step). For example, '0 9 * * 1-5' means 'at 9:00 AM, Monday through Friday'. Cron is used by Unix schedulers, CI/CD systems, cloud functions, and task queues.
Why Use Our Cron Builder?
- Visual builder — no need to memorize cron syntax.
- Human-readable description — see 'Every weekday at 9:00 AM' alongside the expression.
- Next-run preview — verify the schedule with upcoming execution times.
- Copy-ready — grab the expression for crontab, GitHub Actions, or cloud schedulers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a string of five space-separated fields that define a schedule. It was originally used by the Unix cron daemon and is now the standard schedule format across CI/CD, cloud functions, and task queues.
Does this support seconds?
Standard cron uses five fields (no seconds). Some systems like Quartz use a sixth field for seconds. This builder uses the standard five-field format.
Can I use this for GitHub Actions?
Yes. GitHub Actions uses standard cron syntax for schedule triggers. Copy the expression directly into your workflow YAML.
Is my schedule data stored?
No. Everything runs in your browser.