Cron Expression Parser
Parse and explain cron schedules. Free, no signup.
minute hour day(month) month day(week)
Common examples:
How It Works
Enter a 5-field cron expression and click Parse. The schedule is explained in plain English so you can confirm what it does. Click any example to load it into the box. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
What Is a Cron Expression?
Cron is a time-based job scheduler in Unix systems. A cron expression defines when a task should run using 5 fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, Sunday=0). Special characters include * (any), , (list), - (range), and / (step).
Cron Field Reference
| Position | Field | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minute | 0-59 |
| 2 | Hour | 0-23 |
| 3 | Day of month | 1-31 |
| 4 | Month | 1-12 |
| 5 | Day of week | 0-6 (Sunday = 0) |
Common Cron Examples
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| * * * * * | Every minute |
| 0 * * * * | Every hour, on the hour |
| 0 0 * * * | Every day at midnight |
| 0 9 * * 1-5 | Weekdays at 9:00 am |
| */15 * * * * | Every 15 minutes |
| 0 0 1 * * | First day of every month |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I read a cron expression?
A cron expression has five fields separated by spaces: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. Enter one and click Parse to see it explained in plain English, such as "At 0 past 9, on Monday through Friday" for 0 9 * * 1-5.
What do the special characters in cron mean?
An asterisk (*) means every value, a comma (,) lists specific values, a hyphen (-) sets a range, and a slash (/) sets a step. For example */15 in the minute field means every 15 minutes, and 1-5 in the day-of-week field means Monday through Friday.
How many fields should a cron expression have?
This parser expects exactly five fields: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-6, where Sunday is 0). If you enter a different number of fields it shows an error.
Does this tool calculate the next run times?
No. It translates the schedule into a plain-English description and provides clickable examples. It does not compute the upcoming run dates, so use it to understand and check a cron expression rather than to preview a schedule.
Is my cron expression sent to a server?
No. Parsing happens entirely in your browser with JavaScript, so whatever you type stays on your device and nothing is uploaded or stored.