Question 1

What are the most common cron patterns?

Accepted Answer

The most used cron schedules are: every 5 minutes (*/5 * * * *), hourly (0 * * * *), daily at midnight (0 0 * * *), weekly on Monday (0 0 * * 1), and monthly on the 1st (0 0 1 * *). Our page lists 150+ patterns organized by frequency.

Question 2

How do I run a cron job every weekday?

Accepted Answer

Use 0 9 * * 1-5 to run at 9 AM Monday through Friday. The 1-5 range means Monday (1) through Friday (5). Combine with specific hours: 0 9-17 * * 1-5 runs every hour from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays.

Question 3

What is the difference between */5 and 0,5,10,15?

Accepted Answer

They produce the same result. */5 means 'every 5th value starting from 0'. 0,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55 explicitly lists each value. The step syntax (*/5) is preferred because it is shorter and easier to read.

Question 4

How do I test a cron pattern before deploying?

Accepted Answer

Click any pattern on this page to see its detail page with next run times. Or use our cron validator at /cron-validator/ to paste any expression and instantly see the next 5 scheduled executions.

Common Cron Patterns