* CronTools
Builder
* Visual Cron Builder

Cron Expression Builder

Build, validate, and understand cron expressions with a visual editor, natural language input, and platform support for AWS, Kubernetes, Quartz, GitHub Actions, and more.

Valid
MINMinute
0
HRHour
9
DOMDay of Month
*
MONMonth
*
DOWDay of Week
1-5

In plain English

At 09:00 AM, Monday through Friday

English → Cron

Try: "every 5 minutes", "every weekday at 9am", "every Monday at 3pm", "every month on the 1st"

Next 10 Executions

UTC
  1. 1Mon, May 18, 09:00 AM UTCin 3d
  2. 2Tue, May 19, 09:00 AM UTCin 4d
  3. 3Wed, May 20, 09:00 AM UTCin 5d
  4. 4Thu, May 21, 09:00 AM UTCin 6d
  5. 5Fri, May 22, 09:00 AM UTCin 7d
  6. 6Mon, May 25, 09:00 AM UTCin 10d
  7. 7Tue, May 26, 09:00 AM UTCin 11d
  8. 8Wed, May 27, 09:00 AM UTCin 12d
  9. 9Thu, May 28, 09:00 AM UTCin 13d
  10. 10Fri, May 29, 09:00 AM UTCin 14d
crontab entrybash
# Add to crontab with: crontab -e
0 9 * * 1-5    /path/to/your/script.sh

Supported Platforms

Switch platforms in the builder above, or visit a dedicated guide for each platform's syntax rules and examples.

Linux Crontab

*/5 * * * *

GitHub Actions

0 9 * * 1-5

AWS EventBridge

0 9 ? * MON-FRI *

Kubernetes

@daily

Quartz Scheduler

0 0 9 ? * MON-FRI

Spring @Scheduled

0 0 9 * * MON-FRI

Azure Functions

0 0 9 * * 1-5

Cloud Scheduler

0 9 * * 1-5

What is a Cron Expression?

A cron expression is a string of five (or more) fields that defines a recurring schedule for automated tasks. Originally a Unix/Linux feature, cron syntax is now the standard scheduling format across cloud platforms, CI/CD systems, and job schedulers.

The five standard fields — minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week — let you express schedules from "every minute" to "the first Monday of each quarter." Platforms like AWS EventBridge, Quartz Scheduler, and Azure Functions extend the format with additional fields for seconds and year.

This tool supports all major platforms in one place: build an expression visually with the field pickers, type in plain English and get the expression automatically, or paste an existing expression to see it decoded and validated.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 5 fields in a standard cron expression? ▾
Left to right: minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day-of-month (1–31), month (1–12), day-of-week (0–6, where 0 is Sunday). The wildcard "*" means "every value for this field."
How is this different from crontab.guru? ▾
crontab.guru is a single text input that decodes standard cron expressions. crontools.dev adds a visual field builder, natural language input, platform support for AWS EventBridge/Quartz/Kubernetes/GitHub Actions/Azure, platform manifest generation, and 200+ indexed reference pages for common schedules.
Does AWS EventBridge use standard cron syntax? ▾
No — AWS EventBridge uses a 6-field format with a year field at the end, and requires "?" instead of "*" for whichever of day-of-month or day-of-week you are not specifying. Both fields cannot be set simultaneously.
How do I convert a cron expression to plain English? ▾
Enter or build your expression using the visual builder above. The "In plain English" panel below the builder will show a human-readable description of the schedule automatically.
Can I type a schedule in plain English and get a cron expression? ▾
Yes — use the "English → Cron" input in the natural language panel. Type phrases like "every weekday at 9am", "every 5 minutes", or "every Monday at 3pm" and click Convert to get the expression.