FreeQ.One

Cron Expression Visual Builder

Click fields below to pick values, then copy the valid crontab string.

Quick Presets
Next 5 Runs
Jul 16, 2026, 7:45:00 AMJul 16, 2026, 7:46:00 AMJul 16, 2026, 7:47:00 AMJul 16, 2026, 7:48:00 AMJul 16, 2026, 7:49:00 AM

Built Expression

* * * * *

Plain-English Description

Every minute

Ready for crontab / GitHub Actions / K8s CronJob
Field-by-field detail
Minute*
Hour*
Day of Month*
Month*
Day of Week*

About This Tool

A cron expression is a scheduling syntax used across Unix and Linux systems to automate recurring tasks. It uses five fields — minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week — to define precise schedules for commands that should execute at specific intervals. This visual cron expression builder lets you create valid crontab strings by selecting values through an intuitive picker instead of typing syntax from scratch. cRonstrue (loaded client-side) translates every built expression back into readable English in real time so you always know what your schedule means before deploying it.

Common Use Cases

  • CI/CD pipeline scheduling — trigger builds and deployments at off-peak hours
  • Automated backups — run database dumps or cloud syncs on regular intervals (e.g. every 6 h: 0 */6 * * *)
  • Log rotation — set up daily midnight log cleanup via 0 0 * * * in crontab -e
  • Health check monitoring — periodic pings or uptime probes at configurable intervals
  • Social media auto-posting — recurring cron jobs on Vercel serverless or GitHub Actions

Pro Tips

  • / means step values: */15 = every 15 min, 0-59/10 = hour 5,15,25…
  • Combine ranges with commas: 0,30 * * * * runs at minute 0 AND 30 every hour.
  • Use the question mark ? in the day-of-month field when also specifying weekdays (GitHub Actions convention).
  • Test before deploying — paste your expression into our builder to verify the English description matches your intent.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cron expression?
A cron expression defines a schedule using five space-separated fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12 or JAN-DEC), and day-of-week (0-6, both 0 and 7 = Sunday). Wildcards (*) match any value; / defines intervals.
How do I create a cron expression?
Use the visual builder above: click each field to select values, then apply presets like "Every 5 min" or "Daily midnight." The crontab string updates live and cRonstrue gives you a plain-English description instantly.
What do the five fields mean?
Minute: 0-59 · Hour: 0-23 · Day of Month: 1-31 · Month: 1-12 (or JAN-DEC) · Day of Week: 0-6 (Sun-Sat). Use * for any value, /N for steps, - for ranges, and commas to combine.
How do I run a job every hour?
Set minute to 0 and everything else to *: 0 * * * *. For every 15 minutes use */15 * * * *.

Part of the FreeQ.One tools suite.