Cron Expression Explainer is designed for the exact search intent behind “cron expression explainer”. Paste a cron expression to interpret its schedule and understand what each field means in the supported cron dialect. Paste a cron expression to interpret its schedule and understand what each field means in the supported cron dialect. Five-field cron anatomy Traditional Unix cron commonly uses minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week . For example, 0 9 * * 1-5 represents 9:00 on weekdays in common five-field syntax. Common operators * commonly means every value; commas lists; hyphens ranges; and slashes step intervals. Exact support varies by scheduler. Dialect and time-zone warning Quartz and cloud schedulers can add seconds, years or special operators. The same expression can also run at a different wall-clock time depending on the scheduler's time zone. Worked example: In common five-field Unix cron, this means minute 0 of hour 9 on Monday through Friday. Common practical uses include Read unfamiliar crontab entries; Review deployment schedules; Debug recurring jobs; Learn cron field syntax. Important limitations: Cron dialects are not fully interchangeable. Day-of-week numbering can vary. The expression alone may not reveal the scheduler's time zone or DST behavior. Key questions this page should answer include: What are the five standard cron fields? Minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week. What does * mean in cron? It commonly means every allowed value for that field. What does 0 9 * * 1-5 mean? In common five-field Unix cron, 9:00 AM Monday through Friday. Why does a cron expression work in one system but not another? Schedulers can use different field counts, operators and weekday conventions. Does a cron expression include a time zone? Usually not in the five fields themselves; the scheduler or surrounding configuration determines the time zone. The page should stay focused on this differentiator: Own 'explain cron' rather than generator intent; field-by-field meaning plus dialect/time-zone caveats. The tool should appear before the explanatory copy so a visitor can complete the task immediately, then use the supporting content to verify the method and understand the result.
How to use this tool
Five-field cron anatomy
Traditional Unix cron commonly uses minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week. For example, 0 9 * * 1-5 represents 9:00 on weekdays in common five-field syntax.
Common operators
* commonly means every value; commas lists; hyphens ranges; and slashes step intervals. Exact support varies by scheduler.
Dialect and time-zone warning
Quartz and cloud schedulers can add seconds, years or special operators. The same expression can also run at a different wall-clock time depending on the scheduler's time zone.
Examples
Explain 0 9 * * 1-5
In common five-field Unix cron, this means minute 0 of hour 9 on Monday through Friday.
Common use cases
- Read unfamiliar crontab entries
- Review deployment schedules
- Debug recurring jobs
- Learn cron field syntax
Frequently asked questions
What are the five standard cron fields?
Minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week.
What does * mean in cron?
It commonly means every allowed value for that field.
What does 0 9 * * 1-5 mean?
In common five-field Unix cron, 9:00 AM Monday through Friday.
Why does a cron expression work in one system but not another?
Schedulers can use different field counts, operators and weekday conventions.
Does a cron expression include a time zone?
Usually not in the five fields themselves; the scheduler or surrounding configuration determines the time zone.