Question 1

What is a cron expression?

Accepted Answer

A cron expression is a string of 5 fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) that defines a recurring schedule. Used in Linux, AWS, and CI/CD systems.

Question 2

What does */5 * * * * mean?

Accepted Answer

It means "every 5 minutes". The */5 in the minute field means "every 5th minute", and * in other fields means "every hour, every day, every month, every day of week".

Question 3

What is the difference between 5-field and 6-field cron?

Accepted Answer

Standard cron uses 5 fields (minute through day of week). Some systems like AWS add a 6th field for year or seconds. This tool supports the standard 5-field format.

Question 4

Can I use this for AWS CloudWatch cron?

Accepted Answer

AWS CloudWatch uses a slightly different 6-field format. This tool handles standard 5-field cron used in Linux crontab, GitHub Actions, and most CI/CD systems.

Cron Expression Parser

Common Presets

About Cron Parser