Developer Tools
Cron Expression Explainer
Any 5-field cron in plain words, plus the next five run times.
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◉ Runs on this device
Developer Tools
Powering up the tool…
TOOL CRON-EXPRESS
What this tool does
About the cron expression explainer
Field-by-field expansion, the day-of-month/week OR-rule honoured.
How to use it
- Paste the expression.
- Read the plain-words expansion.
- Check the next five local-clock fire times.
- Deploy with the server’s timezone in mind.
Useful for
- Decode an inherited crontab line before touching it.
- Verify a schedule before deploying it.
- Learn what the five fields do by example.
Straight answers
Cron Expression Explainer FAQ
What is the day-of-month vs day-of-week trap?
When BOTH are restricted, standard cron fires when EITHER matches (OR, not AND) — “1st of month AND Mondays” actually runs on every 1st plus every Monday. This explainer applies the real rule; many humans don’t.
Why do the run times say “your local clock”?
Cron fires on the SERVER’s clock/zone, which this page cannot know. The preview uses your browser clock for shape; confirm the server timezone before trusting minute-level timing.