Cron Expression Parser
Parse and explain cron expressions in plain English. Validate cron syntax and preview the next 10 scheduled run times. Free, browser-based.
How to Use
- Enter a 5-field cron expression or click a preset.
- Press Parse (or Enter) to see the plain-English explanation.
- The field breakdown shows all matched values for each position.
- The next 10 scheduled run times are calculated in your local timezone.
Cron Field Reference
| Field | Allowed values | Special characters |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0–59 | * , - / |
| Hour | 0–23 | * , - / |
| Day of month | 1–31 | * , - / |
| Month | 1–12 or jan–dec | * , - / |
| Day of week | 0–7 (0 and 7 = Sunday) or sun–sat | * , - / |
FAQ
What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a string with 5 fields (minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week) that defines a recurring schedule. It is used by cron, crontab, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, and many other systems.
What does * mean in a cron expression?
An asterisk (*) means 'every valid value'. For example, * in the minute field means 'every minute'. Combined with other fields it creates intervals.
What is the difference between '0 0 * * 0' and '0 0 * * 7'?
Both mean Sunday midnight. The day-of-week field accepts 0 and 7 as aliases for Sunday.
Does this support seconds or @reboot?
This tool supports the standard 5-field cron format (minute hour day month weekday). Vixie-style 6-field cron with seconds and @reboot are not supported.