Cron Expression
minhourdaymonthweek
Every minute
Next 5 Executions
Visual Builder
How it works
Run this tool in three short steps.
01
Enter or build expression
Type a cron expression directly, or use the visual selectors to pick minute, hour, day, month, and weekday values.
02
See human-readable output
The expression is instantly decoded into plain English. "*/5 * * * *" becomes "Every 5 minutes".
03
Check next executions
See the next 5 scheduled execution times calculated from your current timezone. Copy the expression with one click.
Questions
What people ask before they use this tool.
What is a cron expression?
A cron expression is a string of 5 fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) that defines a schedule. Used by cron daemons on Unix/Linux, Kubernetes CronJobs, GitHub Actions, AWS EventBridge, and most task schedulers.
How many fields does a cron expression have?
Standard cron has 5 fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, where 0=Sunday). Some systems add a 6th field for seconds.
What does the asterisk (*) mean?
An asterisk means "every value" for that field. So * in the minute field means "every minute", and * in the hour field means "every hour".
How do I schedule a task every 5 minutes?
Use */5 * * * * — the */5 in the minute field means "every 5th minute". Click the "Every 5 min" preset button above to try it.
What is the difference between */5 and 0,5,10,15...?
They produce the same result. */5 is shorthand for "every 5th value starting from 0". The comma-separated version lists each value explicitly. */5 is cleaner and preferred.
Can I use day names like MON, TUE?
Some cron implementations support 3-letter day names (SUN=0, MON=1, etc.) and month names (JAN=1, FEB=2, etc.). This builder uses numeric values for maximum compatibility.
What is the range for each field?
Minute: 0-59. Hour: 0-23. Day of month: 1-31. Month: 1-12. Day of week: 0-6 (Sunday=0) or 1-7 (Monday=1) depending on system.
How do I run a job at midnight?
Use 0 0 * * * — minute 0, hour 0. This runs once per day at 00:00 in the server's timezone.
What does the hyphen (-) mean in cron?
A hyphen defines a range. "1-5" in the weekday field means Monday through Friday. "9-17" in the hour field means 9am to 5pm.
What does the comma (,) mean?
A comma separates individual values. "1,15" in the day-of-month field means "on the 1st and 15th of each month".
Can I test if my cron expression is correct?
Yes — this tool shows the next 5 execution times calculated from right now. If the dates match your expected schedule, the expression is correct.
What timezone does the builder use?
The "next executions" use your browser's local timezone. Actual cron daemons typically use the server's timezone (often UTC). Always verify timezone settings in your deployment environment.
Can I start using the builder right away?
Yes. Open the page, type an expression or use the selectors, and the next execution times update immediately. It is designed for a browser-first debugging pass when you need to check a schedule quickly.
Does it support 6-field (with seconds) cron?
This builder is similar to crontab.guru but with a visual selector interface. It focuses on the standard 5-field cron format used by most systems. For 6-field expressions (with seconds), prepend a seconds field manually.
What other developer tools does Coda One offer?
We have 23+ dev tools including <a href="/json-formatter">JSON Formatter</a>, <a href="/regex-tester">Regex Tester</a>, <a href="/uuid-generator">UUID Generator</a>, <a href="/timestamp-converter">Timestamp Converter</a>, and more. They are built for direct browser use when you need a quick first task without extra setup.
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Coda One's Cron Expression Builder lets you visually create and decode cron schedules. Use the interactive selectors or type an expression directly, see the next 5 execution times, and copy the result with one click. It is a browser-first workflow for fast schedule checks before you move back into deployment files, CI configs, or server tooling.