Cron Expression Parser
Translate any 5 or 6-part crontab schedule into plain English — instantly, entirely in your browser.
Standard 5-field order
Minute
0–59
Hour
0–23
Day
1–31
Month
1–12
Weekday
0–6 (Sun=0)
Special characters: * (any) */n (every n) x-y (range) x,y (list)
How It Works
- 1.Paste a cron expression (5 or 6 space-separated fields) into the input. The description updates on every keystroke.
- 2.Use the quick template buttons to load common schedules for reference or testing.
- 3.The input border turns green for a valid expression, red for an invalid one.
- 4.Once valid, a color-coded chip appears under the input for every field — Minute, Hour, Day, Month, Weekday (and Second for 6-field expressions) — so you can see exactly which part of the expression maps to which unit of time.
- 5.Scroll to the "Next 5 Upcoming Execution Runs" panel to see the exact upcoming timestamps, calculated in your local timezone.
- 6.Copy the expression with the Copy button next to the input, or press Escape while the input is focused to clear it.
- 7.Star a valid expression to save it to Favorites, or revisit anything you've recently parsed under the Recent tab — both are stored locally in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a cron expression?
- A cron expression is a string of 5 (or 6) space-separated fields that define a recurring schedule: minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. A 6-field variant adds a leading seconds field.
- What do the special characters mean?
- * means every value. */n means every n units (step). x-y is a range. x,y is a comma-separated list. These can be combined: 0,30 * * * * runs at :00 and :30 of every hour.
- Does this support 6-field cron expressions?
- Yes. When six fields are provided, the first field is treated as seconds (0–59). This is common in Spring Boot, Quartz Scheduler, and AWS EventBridge cron syntax.
- How are the next 5 run times calculated?
- Entirely client-side, using your browser's local system clock and timezone. We walk forward from the current moment and find the next timestamps that satisfy every field of your expression — nothing is sent to a server. Use the timezone dropdown above the results to view those same instants converted into another timezone.
- Is any data sent to a server?
- No. Translation and next-run calculation run entirely in your browser using the cronstrue library and local JavaScript logic. No cron expressions or schedule data leave your machine.
- Where are my Favorites and Recent history stored?
- Entirely in your browser's local storage — there's no account or server sync. Clearing your browser data (or using a different browser/device) will reset both lists.
Popular Cron Schedules
Jump straight to a common schedule with its own expression, examples, and FAQs.
Frequently Asked Questions & Guides
Everything you need to know about parsing cron expressions and using CronParser's developer toolkit.
A cron expression is a compact string of five or six space-separated fields — minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week — that defines a recurring schedule for background jobs, CI/CD pipelines, and server tasks. This standard crontab syntax can be hard to read at a glance, which is exactly what CronParser solves: it works as both a cron expression explainer and a schedule generator — paste any expression above for an instant plain-English translation, or use the quick-template buttons to build one from scratch without memorizing the syntax.
Yes. Every tool on CronParser — including the cron parser itself — runs 100% client-side, entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is ever uploaded to a remote backend server: API keys, .env configuration values, JWTs, and raw strings are parsed, validated, and transformed locally with native JavaScript, then discarded the moment you close or refresh the tab. There's no server round-trip to intercept and no database quietly storing your input.
CronParser is a complete cron platform: a visual builder, validator, generator, timezone converter, schedule visualizer, and expression comparison tool are all live, alongside the Cron Cheat Sheet, the Cron Examples Library, platform-specific guides for Linux, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, and AWS, and the Cron Learning Center for a from-scratch introduction. See the full lineup on the Cron Tools page.