About Cron Expression Parser
The Cron Expression Parser translates cron job schedule expressions into plain English and shows the next 5 scheduled run times. Instantly understand what a cron expression means without having to memorize the syntax.
Cron expressions are used to schedule recurring tasks in Linux crontab, AWS Lambda, GitHub Actions workflows, Kubernetes CronJobs, Heroku Scheduler, Jenkins pipelines, and many other systems.
The parser validates standard 5-field Unix cron (minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week) and 6-field with seconds. Special strings like @daily, @weekly, @hourly, and @reboot are also supported.
All parsing happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
How to Use Cron Expression Parser
Enter a cron expression like '0 9 * * 1-5'.
The human-readable explanation appears immediately.
The next 5 scheduled run times are shown with dates and times.
Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
What cron format is supported?
Standard 5-field Unix cron (minute hour day month weekday) and 6-field with seconds. Special strings @daily, @weekly, @monthly, @hourly, and @reboot are also supported.
What does '*/5' mean in a cron expression?
*/5 means 'every 5 units'. In the minute field, */5 means every 5 minutes (0, 5, 10, 15, ...).
What does 0 9 * * 1-5 mean?
It means 'at 9:00 AM every weekday (Monday through Friday)'.
What does 0 0 1 * * mean?
It means 'at midnight (00:00) on the 1st day of every month'.
What is the difference between 0 and *?
0 means 'at exactly minute/hour 0'. * means 'every minute/hour'. So '0 * * * *' runs at minute 0 of every hour, while '* * * * *' runs every single minute.
Does cron support timezones?
Standard cron runs in the system timezone. AWS EventBridge and some other platforms support timezone specification. The tool shows run times in your local browser timezone.