Developer Tools

Cron Expression Parser

Parse cron expressions into plain English and see the next scheduled run times. Supports 5 and 6-field cron syntax — validate and explain instantly.

Plain English
5 / 6 Fields
Next Run Times
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Cron expression

minute hour day month weekday, or leading seconds

minute

*/15

every 15 minutes

hour

every hour

day of month

every day of month

month

every month

day of week

every day of week

5-field expression

Cron expression parser

Standard Unix cron uses five fields: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. A sixth leading field is commonly used for seconds in extended schedulers.

Syntax	Meaning
`*`	Any value
`,`	List
`-`	Range
`/`	Step

0 9 * * 1-5

This expression runs at 09:00 on weekdays. Always confirm timezone behavior in the scheduler that will execute the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cron expression?: A cron expression is a string of 5 fields (minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week) used to schedule recurring jobs. For example '0 9 * * 1' means every Monday at 9:00 AM.
What special characters are supported?: Supported special characters: * (any), , (list), - (range), / (step). For example '0/15 * * * *' means every 15 minutes.
Does this support 6-field cron (with seconds)?: The standard Unix cron format uses 5 fields. This tool also accepts an optional leading seconds field (used by Quartz and AWS EventBridge), making it a 6-field expression.
What does 'L' and 'W' mean in cron?: 'L' in the day-of-month field means the last day of the month. 'W' means the nearest weekday. These are Quartz scheduler extensions not available in standard Unix cron.

Disclaimer

This tool is provided for general informational and utility purposes only. Results may be inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or contain errors. Always verify results before relying on or using them.

Some tools may use AI, automated processing, third-party services, or server-side processing. Do not rely on these tools as a substitute for professional advice.

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Cron expression parser

Standard Unix cron uses five fields: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. A sixth leading field is commonly used for seconds in extended schedulers.

Syntax

Meaning

*

Any value

,

List

-

Range

/

Step

0 9 * * 1-5

This expression runs at 09:00 on weekdays. Always confirm timezone behavior in the scheduler that will execute the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cron expression?

A cron expression is a string of 5 fields (minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week) used to schedule recurring jobs. For example '0 9 * * 1' means every Monday at 9:00 AM.

What special characters are supported?

Supported special characters: * (any), , (list), - (range), / (step). For example '0/15 * * * *' means every 15 minutes.

Does this support 6-field cron (with seconds)?

The standard Unix cron format uses 5 fields. This tool also accepts an optional leading seconds field (used by Quartz and AWS EventBridge), making it a 6-field expression.

What does 'L' and 'W' mean in cron?

'L' in the day-of-month field means the last day of the month. 'W' means the nearest weekday. These are Quartz scheduler extensions not available in standard Unix cron.

Disclaimer

Some tools may use AI, automated processing, third-party services, or server-side processing. Do not rely on these tools as a substitute for professional advice.