Cron Parser
Parse and explain cron expressions in plain language. View the next 10 scheduled executions.
Format: minute (0-59) hour (0-23) day of month (1-31) month (1-12) day of week (0-6, 0=Sunday)
Explanation
Every 5 minutes
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | */5 | every 5 minutes |
| Hour | * | every value |
| Day of month | * | every value |
| Month | * | every value |
| Day of week | * | every value |
Everything you need to know about the Cron expression parser
Why use an online Cron parser?
Instantly understand the meaning of any cron expression with a plain-language explanation, without having to mentally decode the syntax.
Preview the next 10 scheduled executions to verify your cron job will fire at the right time, before you even deploy it.
100% free tool, no sign-up required, and it runs entirely in your browser: your cron expressions never leave your machine.
Common use cases
- Debugging scheduled tasks
- Paste a cron expression from your crontab, GitHub Actions, or CI/CD pipeline and verify it matches the expected schedule.
- Learning cron syntax
- Use the preset examples to understand the structure of the 5 fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) and their combinations.
- Planning automatic backups
- Build and validate the cron expression that will trigger your database or file backups exactly when you need them.
- Infrastructure documentation
- Generate a human-readable explanation of your cron jobs to enrich your DevOps team's technical documentation.
How to use the Cron parser?
Enter or paste a 5-field cron expression in the text input (e.g. "*/5 * * * *").
Read the plain-language explanation and the detailed breakdown of each field in the summary table.
Check the list of the next 10 executions to make sure the schedule matches your expectations.
Frequently asked questions about the Cron parser
- What is the difference between a 5-field and a 6-field cron expression?
- The standard Unix format uses 5 fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week). Some systems like Quartz add a 6th field for seconds. Our tool supports the 5-field format, which is the most common.
- Can I use day or month names (MON, JAN) in the expression?
- This parser only accepts numeric values and the characters *, /, - and ,. Convert names to numbers (e.g. MON = 1, JAN = 1) before submitting the expression.
- Do the displayed next executions take the timezone into account?
- Yes, the dates and times shown are calculated in your browser's local timezone. For a remote server, make sure the configured timezone matches.
- How do I express "every weekday at 9 AM" in cron?
- The corresponding expression is "0 9 * * 1-5". The day-of-week field "1-5" covers Monday through Friday. You can paste it into the tool to verify the next executions.
- Does this tool work offline?
- The parsing is done entirely in JavaScript in your browser. Once the page is loaded, you can disconnect and continue using the tool normally.