Cron Expression Parser - Human-Readable

How the Cron Parser Works

1. 01Enter a cron expression (e.g., 0 9 * * 1-5)
2. 02The parser translates it into plain English (e.g., 'At 09:00, Monday through Friday')
3. 03View the next scheduled run times to verify your expression is correct
4. 04Use the interactive builder to construct expressions by selecting minute, hour, day, month, and weekday

Cron Expression Reference

Cron expressions use five fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-7, where both 0 and 7 mean Sunday). Use * for 'every', */5 for 'every 5th', 1-5 for ranges, and 1,15 for specific values. Common examples: '0 * * * *' runs hourly, '0 0 * * *' runs daily at midnight, '0 9 * * 1' runs every Monday at 9 AM.

When to Use the Cron Parser

Use this parser when you encounter a cron expression and need to understand its schedule. This happens frequently when reviewing CI/CD pipeline configurations, debugging scheduled tasks that run at wrong times, auditing server cron jobs, or reading infrastructure-as-code files. The parser translates cryptic cron syntax into clear, human-readable descriptions.

Common Use Cases

• —Understanding cron schedules in CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins) Cron Expression Builder - Visual & Free
• —Debugging scheduled tasks that run at unexpected times on Linux servers
• —Auditing production cron jobs to verify backup and maintenance schedules
• —Reading cron expressions in infrastructure-as-code files (Terraform, Ansible)

Expert Tips

• ✻Always verify your interpretation by checking the next 5-10 execution times - the most common mistake is confusing day-of-month with day-of-week
• ✻Remember that '*/7' in the day-of-month field does NOT mean 'every 7 days' - it means 'on the 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th' of each month
• ✻For building new expressions, use our Cron Expression Builder which provides a visual interface with instant validation

Frequently Asked Questions

What does each field in a cron expression mean?→

The five fields are: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12 or JAN-DEC), and day of week (0-7 or SUN-SAT, where both 0 and 7 are Sunday). Fields are separated by spaces. Example: '30 9 * * 1-5' means 'at 9:30 AM, Monday through Friday'.

What do special characters like * / - , mean?→

* means 'every' (every minute, every hour, etc.). / means 'step' (*/5 = every 5th). - means 'range' (1-5 = 1 through 5). , means 'list' (1,15 = on the 1st and 15th). These can be combined: '0-30/10' means 'every 10 minutes during the first half hour'.

Is there a difference between cron on Linux and in GitHub Actions?→

Standard Unix cron has 5 fields. Some systems (like Quartz scheduler) add a 6th field for seconds. GitHub Actions uses standard 5-field cron but runs in UTC timezone. AWS CloudWatch uses 6 fields with a year field. Always check your platform's documentation for specifics.