A cron expression defines a schedule using 5 or 6 time fields:
• **Minute** (0-59)
• **Hour** (0-23)
• **Day of Month** (1-31)
• **Month** (1-12 or JAN-DEC)
• **Day of Week** (0-6 or SUN-SAT, where 0 = Sunday)
• **Year** (optional, Quartz format only)
Example: `0 9 * * 1` means 'At 9:00 AM every Monday'
Using Natural Language Input
The easiest way to create cron expressions:
1. **Select 'AI Guide' mode** at the top of the builder
2. **Type your schedule in plain English**, such as:
- 'every day at 9am'
- 'every Monday at 10am'
- 'every 15 minutes'
- 'first day of every month at midnight'
3. **Click 'Generate'** and our AI will convert it to a cron expression
4. **Review the timeline** to verify the schedule matches your intent
Supports both English and Korean input.
Direct Expression Input
For experienced users:
1. **Switch to 'Manual' mode**
2. **Enter your cron expression** directly (e.g., `0 9 * * *`)
3. **See instant validation** with helpful error messages
4. **View the timeline** to visualize execution times
Use the field editor for guided building with dropdowns.
Timeline Visualization
After generating an expression:
• **View next executions** in a list format
• **Interactive timeline chart** shows execution patterns over 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days
• **Timezone comparison** lets you see the same schedule across different timezones
• **Hover over points** to see exact execution times
• **Zoom and pan** for detailed inspection (Ctrl+Scroll to zoom)
Platform-Specific Code
Get ready-to-use code:
1. **Generate your cron expression**
2. **Scroll to 'Platform Code Snippets'**
3. **Select your platform** (Linux, AWS, Kubernetes, etc.)
4. **Click 'Copy Code'** to get platform-specific implementation
5. **View official documentation** links for each platform
Supported platforms include Linux crontab, AWS EventBridge, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, Spring, Quartz, Azure Functions, and GCP Scheduler.
Saving and Organizing
To save expressions for later:
1. **Create a free account** (sign up in the header)
2. **Click 'Save Expression'** button
3. **Add a name and description** (optional)
4. **Tag your expression** for easy filtering
5. **Access saved expressions** from any device via cloud sync
Use the sidebar to view and manage saved expressions.
Pro Tips
• **Start simple**: Use templates from the sidebar for common patterns
• **Verify critical jobs**: Always test in a non-production environment first
• **Watch for frequency**: Check the execution frequency to avoid running jobs too often
• **Consider timezones**: Remember that cron runs in the server's timezone
• **Use descriptive names**: When saving expressions, use clear names for easy identification
• **Export your data**: Regularly export saved expressions as backup (JSON or CSV)
Common Patterns
**Every hour at minute 0**
`0 * * * *`
**Every day at 3am (backup time)**
`0 3 * * *`
**Weekdays at 9am**
`0 9 * * 1-5`
**Every 15 minutes**
`*/15 * * * *`
**First day of every month at midnight**
`0 0 1 * *`
**Every Monday at 10am**
`0 10 * * 1`
Ready to start building?
Put your new knowledge to work and create your first cron expression!