Stax

Cron Expression Parser

Parse cron expressions into plain English and preview next 5 execution times.

minute · hour · day-of-month · month · day-of-week

EXAMPLES
FieldValueRangeMeaning
Minute00–590
Hour90–239
Day (month)*1–31every day
Month*1–12every month
Day (week)1-50–61-5 (range)
Next 5 executions
1.5/6/2026, 9:00:00 AM
2.5/7/2026, 9:00:00 AM
3.5/8/2026, 9:00:00 AM
4.5/11/2026, 9:00:00 AM
5.5/12/2026, 9:00:00 AM

Understanding cron syntax

Cron is the backbone of scheduled automation on Unix-like systems. A cron expression lets you specify a schedule as precise as “every weekday at 8:05 AM” or as broad as “once a year on January 1st.” Once you understand the five-field structure, you can express virtually any recurring schedule.

Field reference

  • Minute: 0–59 — use */5 for every 5 minutes
  • Hour: 0–23 — use 9-17 for business hours
  • Day of month: 1–31 — use 1,15 for twice a month
  • Month: 1–12 or JAN–DEC — use */3 for quarterly
  • Day of week: 0–6 (Sun=0) or SUN–SAT — use 1-5 for weekdays

Common patterns

  • * * * * * — every minute
  • 0 * * * * — top of every hour
  • 0 0 * * * — daily at midnight
  • 0 0 * * 0 — every Sunday at midnight
  • 0 0 1 * * — first of every month at midnight
  • 0 0 1 1 * — once a year on January 1st
  • */15 * * * * — every 15 minutes
  • 0 9-17 * * 1-5 — every hour during business hours on weekdays

Frequently asked questions

What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a string of five (or six) fields separated by spaces that defines a recurring schedule for automated tasks. It is used in Unix-like systems, CI/CD pipelines, cloud schedulers (AWS EventBridge, GCP Cloud Scheduler), and application frameworks to trigger jobs at specific times.
What are the five fields in a cron expression?
The five fields are, in order: Minute (0–59), Hour (0–23), Day of Month (1–31), Month (1–12 or JAN–DEC), and Day of Week (0–6 or SUN–SAT, where 0 = Sunday). Example: '0 9 * * 1-5' means 9:00 AM every weekday.
What does */15 mean in a cron expression?
The */n syntax means 'every n units'. So */15 in the minute field means 'every 15 minutes' (i.e., at :00, :15, :30, :45). Similarly, */2 in the hour field means 'every 2 hours'.
Can I use commas and ranges together?
Yes. You can combine lists (1,3,5), ranges (1-5), and steps (*/2 or 1-10/2) in a single field using commas. For example, '0,30 9-17 * * 1-5' means every 30 minutes from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays.
Why do some cron expressions have 6 or 7 fields?
The standard Unix cron uses 5 fields. Some systems add a seconds field at the start (making it 6 fields), or a year field at the end (making it 7 fields). This parser handles the standard 5-field format used by most Linux crons, GitHub Actions schedules, and cloud schedulers.

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