Build a standard 5-field cron expression without memorising the syntax. Choose the minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week — the tool assembles the expression and explains what each field means.
How to Use
- Pick a preset, or choose values for each of the five fields.
- Click Build Expression to assemble your cron schedule.
- Read the plain-English explanation of each field.
- Click Copy and paste the expression into your crontab or scheduler.
Key Features
- Standard 5-field cron — minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week.
- Plain-English explanations — every field translated into words.
- One-click presets — common schedules like hourly, daily and weekly.
- Day-field warning — explains the either-matches rule for day fields.
- Copy button — grab the expression for your crontab.
- 100% private — runs entirely in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
FAQs
What is a cron expression?
It is a short string that schedules recurring tasks on Unix-like systems. Each of the five fields sets when the task runs, and tools like crontab read it to trigger your job.
What do the five fields mean?
In order: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of month (1–31), month (1–12) and day of week (0–6, where 0 is Sunday).
What does the star mean?
A star means every possible value for that field. For example, a star in the minute field means the task runs every minute within the chosen hour.
Why did my task run on unexpected days?
If you restrict both day of month and day of week, cron runs when either matches — not only when both do. The builder warns you when this applies.
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