Timestamp Converter
Convert Unix timestamps to human-readable dates and vice versa.
Cron Expression Generator & Parser
Build, parse and validate cron expressions with an interactive visual editor. See a plain-English description and the next scheduled run times instantly in your browser.
Every minute
Visual Builder
Next 5 Run Times
Common Presets
How to Use This Tool
- Type or paste a cron expression in the input field and click "Parse" to see its meaning, or edit it directly and watch the description update in real time.
- Use the visual builder — select values from the five dropdown menus (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) to construct an expression without memorizing syntax.
- Check the next 5 run times below the builder to confirm the schedule matches your expectations before deploying.
- Try a preset — click any button in the Common Presets section to load popular schedules like "every 5 minutes" or "weekdays at 9am."
- Copy the result — click the Copy button next to the input field to copy the expression to your clipboard, ready for crontab, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions or any scheduler.
What Is a Cron Expression?
A cron expression is a compact string that defines a recurring schedule using five space-separated fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, where 0 is Sunday). Originally designed for the Unix cron daemon, cron expressions are now the universal standard for scheduling automated tasks in operating systems, container orchestrators, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud services.
Each field can contain a single value (e.g. 5), a wildcard (* meaning "every"), a range (1-5), a list (1,3,5), or a step value (*/10 meaning "every 10th"). These can be combined to express virtually any recurring schedule, from "every minute" to "at 2:30 AM on the first Monday of every quarter." Many systems also accept three-letter abbreviations for months (JAN-DEC) and days (SUN-SAT).
Understanding cron syntax is essential for anyone managing scheduled tasks, whether you are setting up a database backup in crontab, defining a Kubernetes CronJob, configuring a GitHub Actions workflow, or scheduling a cloud function. This tool lets you build, parse and validate expressions visually so you can be confident your schedule is correct before deploying it to production.
Cron Field Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a string of five fields separated by spaces that defines a recurring schedule. The fields represent minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. Cron expressions are used by Unix-like operating systems, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, and many other platforms to automate tasks on a schedule.
What does */5 mean in a cron expression?
The
*/5 syntax is a step value meaning "every 5th unit." In the minute field, */5 runs at minutes 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55. You can use step values in any field — */2 in the hour field means every 2 hours, */3 in the month field means every 3 months.What is the difference between 5-field and 6-field cron?
Standard Unix cron uses 5 fields: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. Some systems like Quartz Scheduler and Spring add a sixth field for seconds at the beginning. This tool uses the standard 5-field format, which is compatible with crontab, Kubernetes CronJobs, GitHub Actions, and most CI/CD platforms.
Can I use day and month names in cron expressions?
Yes. The day-of-week field accepts three-letter abbreviations (SUN, MON, TUE, WED, THU, FRI, SAT) and the month field accepts (JAN, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC). These names are case-insensitive and are equivalent to their numeric counterparts (0-6 for days, 1-12 for months).
How do I schedule a job to run on weekdays only?
Set the day-of-week field to
1-5 (Monday through Friday). For example, 0 9 * * 1-5 runs at 9:00 AM every weekday. You can also use MON-FRI. To run only on weekends, use 0,6 or SAT,SUN.