How to Test a Cron Expression Online

💡To test a cron expression, paste it into a cron parser and verify that the next scheduled run times match your intent. Always test before deploying — a single field error can make a job run every minute or never at all.

Cron Expression Field Reference

PositionFieldRangeExample
1Minute0–5930 → at :30
2Hour0–2314 → 2pm
3Day of month1–311 → 1st of month
4Month1–126 → June
5Day of week0–7 (0,7=Sun)1 → Monday

Test Your Cron Expression Now

Enter any cron expression and instantly see the next 10 scheduled run times, plus a human-readable description of the schedule.

Common Cron Expression Examples

* * * * *Every minute
0 * * * *Every hour, on the hour
0 9 * * 1-59:00 AM, Monday through Friday
0 0 1 * *Midnight on the 1st of every month
*/15 * * * *Every 15 minutes
0 8,12,18 * * *Three times a day at 8am, noon, and 6pm
30 23 * * 011:30 PM every Sunday

What to Check After Testing

  • Confirm the first 3 run times match your intended schedule
  • Check the timezone — cron uses system time (often UTC)
  • Verify day-of-week numbering: some systems use 0–6, others 1–7 for Sunday
  • Test edge cases: what happens at month boundaries, DST transitions?
  • For 6-field cron (with seconds), confirm your scheduler supports it

Related Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I test a cron expression before using it?

Paste the expression into an online cron parser to see the next N run times. Confirm the first few match your intent before adding it to crontab.

What is the difference between 5-field and 6-field cron?

Standard cron uses 5 fields: minute, hour, day, month, weekday. Some systems (AWS, Quartz, GitHub Actions) add a 6th field for seconds at the start. Know which format your scheduler expects.

Is */1 the same as * in cron?

Yes. */1 means every 1 unit, which is equivalent to *. Use */5 for every 5 minutes, */15 for every 15 minutes.

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