Cron Expression Parser
Parse, validate, and explain cron expressions in plain English.
*/5
Minute
0-59
*
Hour
0-23
*
Day (Month)
1-31
*
Month
1-12
*
Day (Week)
0-7
Description
Every 5 minutes
Next 5 Runs
1Thu, Mar 19, 2026, 15:40
2Thu, Mar 19, 2026, 15:45
3Thu, Mar 19, 2026, 15:50
4Thu, Mar 19, 2026, 15:55
5Thu, Mar 19, 2026, 16:00
Cron Syntax Reference
| Symbol | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| * | Any value | * (every minute) |
| , | List separator | 1,15 (1st and 15th) |
| - | Range | 1-5 (Mon through Fri) |
| / | Step | */10 (every 10) |
About Cron Expression Parser
A free online cron expression parser that translates cron syntax into plain English. Paste any standard 5-field cron expression to see what it means, validate the syntax, visualize each field, and preview the next scheduled run times. Supports wildcards, ranges, lists, steps, named days/months, and common shorthands like @daily and @hourly. Everything runs in your browser — no server calls or signups.
FAQ
- What is a cron expression?
- A cron expression is a string of five fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) that defines a recurring schedule. It's used by cron jobs on Unix/Linux systems, CI/CD pipelines, task schedulers, and cloud services like AWS and Google Cloud.
- What cron format does this tool support?
- This tool supports the standard 5-field cron format: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-7, where both 0 and 7 are Sunday). It also supports named days (MON-SUN), named months (JAN-DEC), and shorthands like @daily, @hourly, @weekly, @monthly, and @yearly.
- What do the special characters mean in cron?
- * means "every" value, commas separate lists (1,3,5), hyphens define ranges (9-17), and slashes define steps (*/5 means every 5th value). These can be combined — for example, 1-5/2 means every 2nd value from 1 to 5.
- Is the "next runs" preview accurate?
- Yes. The next run times are calculated relative to your current local time using the same matching logic a real cron daemon uses. Times are shown in your browser's timezone.
- Does this tool support 6-field or 7-field cron (with seconds or year)?
- No. This tool supports the standard 5-field cron format used by most cron implementations. Some systems like Quartz use 6 or 7 fields — those are not supported here.