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Azure Functions cron expression: every hour
To run a Azure Functions job every hour, use:
0 0 * * * *At minute 0.
Your week at a glance
Upcoming runs
| # | Local | UTC | From now |
|---|
Copy-ready code
Why use this schedule
One run at the top of each hour, twenty-four a day. This is the classic maintenance cadence: frequent enough to keep data fresh, slow enough that even a heavier job finishes comfortably before the next one starts.
- Rotating or compressing logs
- Hourly aggregation of events
- Refreshing materialised views
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, 01:00:00 |
| 3 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 02:00:00 |
| 4 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 03:00:00 |
| 5 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 04:00:00 |
| 6 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 05:00:00 |
Every hour in every dialect
| System | Expression |
|---|---|
| Azure Functions (this page) | 0 0 * * * * |
| Quartz | 0 0 * * * ? |
| Spring | 0 0 * * * * |
| Crontab | 0 * * * * |
| Kubernetes | 0 * * * * |
| AWS EventBridge | 0 * * * ? * |
| Jenkins | H * * * * |
| GitHub Actions | 0 * * * * |
| node-cron | 0 * * * * |
| Apache Airflow | 0 * * * * |
| Google Cloud Scheduler | 0 * * * * |
Need to translate a different expression? Use the cron converter.
Ready-to-use Azure Functions config
Drop this into your project. The expression is the one above.
[Function("MyTimer")]
public void Run([TimerTrigger("0 0 * * * *")] TimerInfo timer)
{
// ...
}WEBSITE_TIME_ZONE=Eastern Standard Time # Windows name; Linux uses America/New_York
# Without it, NCRONTAB runs in UTC.The Azure Functions fields, in order: second (0-59), minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12), day-of-week (0-6, 0 = Sunday).
Things to watch out for in Azure Functions
- The format is {second} {minute} {hour} {day} {month} {day-of-week}; five fields are accepted too. The default time zone is UTC.
- Azure Functions evaluates NCRONTAB in UTC unless the WEBSITE_TIME_ZONE app setting is set; with it, the schedule adjusts for daylight saving. The setting is not supported on Linux Consumption or Flex Consumption plans.
The common mistake with this schedule
Many teams start everything at minute 0, which creates a thundering herd on shared systems. Offset heavy jobs, for example to minute 7 or 23, or use H in Jenkins.
Frequently asked questions
How do I run a Azure Functions job every hour?
Use 0 0 * * * *. At minute 0.
What is the every hour cron expression in other systems?
Quartz: 0 0 * * * ?; Spring: 0 0 * * * *; Crontab: 0 * * * *. The table on this page lists every dialect.
Which time zone does Azure Functions use for this schedule?
Azure Functions evaluates NCRONTAB in UTC unless the WEBSITE_TIME_ZONE app setting is set; with it, the schedule adjusts for daylight saving. The setting is not supported on Linux Consumption or Flex Consumption plans.