Cron Expression Parser
Translate a cron expression into plain language and calculate the next 5 run times.
Minute (0-59)
Hour (0-23)
Day (1-31)
Month (1-12)
Weekday (0-7, 0·7=Sun)
Common Examples
Related Tools
Cron Expressions Explained
Cron is the classic Unix scheduler, and its five-field expression syntax is used everywhere: crontab, Kubernetes CronJobs, GitHub Actions schedules, cloud schedulers, and countless job frameworks.
1. The Five Fields
Minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week. Each field accepts exact values (5), lists (1,15), ranges (9-18), steps (*/10), and combinations (9-18/2).
2. The Day-of-Month vs Day-of-Week Rule
A subtle classic: when both the day-of-month and day-of-week fields are restricted (neither is *), standard cron runs the job if either matches (OR). When only one is restricted, both conditions apply (AND). This tool follows the standard behavior.
3. Timezone Pitfalls
Cron runs in the timezone of the machine executing it. A schedule written for 9 AM KST will fire at midnight UTC on many cloud platforms. Always confirm the scheduler's timezone — the next-run preview here uses your browser's local time.