Getting Creative With Cron

Cron’s syntax is standardized, reasonably flexible, simple to configure, and works reliably. Let's get creative with it as we go from beginner to advanced topics!

Photo by Edgar Chaparro on Unsplash

1. What is a cron
2. Crontab
3. Advanced Scheduling
4. Crontab Generator
5. Cronitor
6. python-crontab

What is a Cron

The origin of the name cron is from the Greek word for time, χρόνος (chronos). It can also be thought of by the acronym Command Run On (UNIX scheduler). Simply put, a cron is a task that runs on a set schedule. When writing a cron, we refer to the task being performed as a cron job.

Cron’s are very simple in structure. The format of a cron is broken down into five time-based fields and a command field as follows:

More advanced scheduling techniques will be covered in the Advanced Scheduling section.

Crontab

Crontab is a program that allows you to manage cron tables for individual users. It provides a high level of abstraction for writing crons, taking care of details such as file structure and permissions behind the scenes.