ByteBox / Tools / Cron Explainer

Cron Expression Explainer

Understand any cron schedule in plain English with the next 10 run times.

Last updated: Mar 15, 2026
0 9 * * 1-5
Next 10 Runs
Common Presets

What is a Cron Expression?

Cron is a time-based job scheduler found in Unix-like systems. A cron expression uses 5 fields — minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week — to define when a task should run. Special characters like * (every), , (list), - (range), and / (step) let you create complex schedules.

Field Reference

Minute (0–59) · Hour (0–23) · Day of Month (1–31) · Month (1–12) · Day of Week (0–6, Sunday=0). Use * for "every", */5 for "every 5th", 1,15 for "1st and 15th", and 1-5 for ranges.