Cron expression generator
Pick when a job should run, in your own time zone. You get the cron expression for Linux crontab, GitHub Actions, AWS EventBridge and Kubernetes, converted to UTC where the platform needs it.
Runs in your browser, nothing is uploadedTry:
Your cron expression
Ready to paste
Next 5 runs
The same schedule everywhere
| Platform | Expression | Time zone |
|---|
Standard cron has 5 fields: minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week (0 = Sunday). AWS EventBridge adds a year, puts a "?" in one of the two day fields, and counts Sunday as 1. Nothing you choose here leaves your browser.
How to use the cron expression generator
- Choose how often the job runs: every few minutes, every few hours, every day, on certain weekdays, monthly or yearly.
- Set the time and pick the time zone you are thinking in. Your own zone is selected for you.
- Choose where it will run. You get the expression, a block ready to paste (crontab line, workflow trigger, Terraform or Kubernetes manifest) and the next five run times.
Example: cron every 5 minutes, and a nightly backup in your time zone
The cron expression for every 5 minutes is */5 * * * *. In AWS EventBridge it is cron(*/5 * * * ? *). GitHub Actions accepts it too, but 5 minutes is the shortest schedule GitHub will run.
A backup at 02:00 Pakistan time (UTC+5) is 0 2 * * * on a server set to Asia/Karachi, but 0 21 * * * on a server running UTC: 21:00 the evening before. Getting that conversion wrong is the most common cron bug, which is why the generator does it for you and tells you which zone each platform uses.
Common questions
What is the cron expression for every 5 minutes?
*/5 * * * * in standard cron, crontab, GitHub Actions and Kubernetes. In AWS EventBridge it is cron(*/5 * * * ? *).
Does cron use my time zone?
Linux crontab uses the server's time zone. AWS EventBridge rules always use UTC. GitHub Actions and Kubernetes use UTC unless you set timezone (GitHub) or timeZone (Kubernetes 1.27+). EventBridge Scheduler takes a time zone and follows daylight saving.
How do I run a cron job on the last day of the month?
AWS EventBridge supports L in the day-of-month field, for example cron(0 18 L * ? *). Standard cron does not, so run on days 28 to 31 and let the job continue only when tomorrow is the 1st.
Why does my scheduled GitHub Actions workflow start late?
GitHub delays scheduled runs when it is busy, most of all at the top of the hour, and can drop some. Pick an odd minute such as 17 instead of 0.
Read next: Cron vs AWS EventBridge schedules: the 6-field trap
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