Cron Expression Explainer
Understand what a cron schedule expression means in plain English
How to Use Cron Expression Explainer
- Enter your cron expression (5 fields like "0 9 * * 1")
- The tool explains the schedule in plain English
- View the next several scheduled run times
- Edit the expression and see the explanation update
About Cron Expression Explainer
Understand exactly when your cron jobs will run. Enter any cron expression and get a plain English explanation of the schedule, plus the next scheduled run times. Works with standard 5-field cron syntax.
Frequently Asked Questions
What format does this tool accept?
Standard 5-field cron format (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week). Some systems use 6 fields with seconds, which we don't currently support.
What do the special characters mean?
The asterisk (*) means any value, comma (,) separates multiple values, hyphen (-) defines ranges, slash (/) defines step values (e.g., */5 means every 5).
Why is my expression invalid?
Check that you have exactly 5 fields separated by spaces, and that each field contains valid values for that position.
Does this support cron extensions?
We support standard POSIX cron syntax. Extensions like @yearly, @monthly, or seconds fields may not be supported.