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Apache Airflow cron expression: every 5 minutes
To run a Apache Airflow job every 5 minutes, use:
*/5 * * * *Every 5 minutes.
Your week at a glance
Upcoming runs
| # | Local | UTC | From now |
|---|
Copy-ready code
Why use this schedule
A common compromise between freshness and load: twelve runs an hour, with enough time between runs for most short jobs to finish.
- Syncing data from a third-party API
- Refreshing a cache or a dashboard
- Health checks on internal services
First runs, as an example
Starting from 1 January 2027, evaluated in UTC:
| # | Date and time (UTC) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 00:00:00 |
| 2 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 00:05:00 |
| 3 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 00:10:00 |
| 4 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 00:15:00 |
| 5 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 00:20:00 |
| 6 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 00:25:00 |
Every 5 minutes in every dialect
| System | Expression |
|---|---|
| Apache Airflow (this page) | */5 * * * * |
| Quartz | 0 */5 * * * ? |
| Spring | 0 */5 * * * * |
| Crontab | */5 * * * * |
| Kubernetes | */5 * * * * |
| AWS EventBridge | */5 * * * ? * |
| Jenkins | H/5 * * * * |
| GitHub Actions | */5 * * * * |
| node-cron | */5 * * * * |
| Azure Functions | 0 */5 * * * * |
| Google Cloud Scheduler | */5 * * * * |
Need to translate a different expression? Use the cron converter.
Ready-to-use Apache Airflow config
Drop this into your project. The expression is the one above.
from datetime import datetime
from airflow import DAG
from airflow.operators.empty import EmptyOperator
with DAG(
dag_id="my_dag",
start_date=datetime(2026, 1, 1),
schedule="*/5 * * * *", # schedule_interval= before Airflow 2.4
catchup=False,
):
EmptyOperator(task_id="start")The Apache Airflow fields, in order: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12), day-of-week (0-7, 0 and 7 = Sunday).
Things to watch out for in Apache Airflow
- Airflow parses cron with croniter, so */15 means :00, :15, :30 and :45. Presets such as @hourly and @daily are accepted too.
- Airflow defaults to UTC. On a time-zone-aware DAG a cron schedule follows wall-clock time, so a daily 00:00 US/Eastern run moves between 04:00 and 05:00 UTC across daylight saving changes.
The common mistake with this schedule
People write 5 * * * * thinking it means every five minutes. That runs once an hour at minute 5. The step needs the slash: */5.
Frequently asked questions
How do I run a Apache Airflow job every 5 minutes?
Use */5 * * * *. Every 5 minutes.
What is the every 5 minutes cron expression in other systems?
Quartz: 0 */5 * * * ?; Spring: 0 */5 * * * *; Crontab: */5 * * * *. The table on this page lists every dialect.
Which time zone does Apache Airflow use for this schedule?
Airflow defaults to UTC. On a time-zone-aware DAG a cron schedule follows wall-clock time, so a daily 00:00 US/Eastern run moves between 04:00 and 05:00 UTC across daylight saving changes.