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Convert node-cron cron to Apache Airflow
node-cron expressions look similar to Apache Airflow, but the differences matter. Paste yours below; the result is checked against the original run times.
What changes from node-cron to Apache Airflow
- Apache Airflow has no seconds field, so a schedule that fires on specific seconds cannot be converted exactly. The seconds value is dropped and flagged.
- node-cron requires both day fields to match; Apache Airflow fires when either does. Schedules that restrict both are flagged.
Worked examples
| Schedule | node-cron | Apache Airflow |
|---|---|---|
| every minute | * * * * * | * * * * * |
| every 5 minutes | */5 * * * * | */5 * * * * |
| every 10 minutes | */10 * * * * | */10 * * * * |
| every 15 minutes | */15 * * * * | */15 * * * * |
| every 30 minutes | */30 * * * * | */30 * * * * |
| every hour | 0 * * * * | 0 * * * * |
| every 2 hours | 0 */2 * * * | 0 */2 * * * |
| every 3 hours | 0 */3 * * * | 0 */3 * * * |
Conversions that come with a warning
- on the first Monday of every month at 9:00 AM:
0 9 1-7 * 1→0 9 1-7 * 1. node-cron (5-6 field) requires day-of-month AND day-of-week to match, but Apache Airflow (croniter) fires when EITHER matches, so the meaning changes. Keep one day field as * and check the other date inside the job. - every 10 seconds:
*/10 * * * * *→* * * * *. Apache Airflow (croniter) has no seconds field; the seconds value "*/10" was dropped. - every 30 seconds:
*/30 * * * * *→* * * * *. Apache Airflow (croniter) has no seconds field; the seconds value "*/30" was dropped.
Field layout and time zones
second (0-59), minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12), day-of-week (0-7, 0 and 7 = Sunday).
node-cron uses the server time zone unless you pass { timezone: "Asia/Kolkata" }. Its documentation advises timezone: "UTC" for jobs that must not skip or repeat when clocks change.
minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12), day-of-week (0-7, 0 and 7 = Sunday).
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.
Go the other way
Convert Apache Airflow to node-cron, or open the node-cron builder or the Apache Airflow builder.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a node-cron cron expression to Apache Airflow?
Paste it into the converter above with node-cron as the source and Apache Airflow as the target. For example, * * * * * becomes * * * * *.
Is every node-cron expression convertible to Apache Airflow?
Yes for the common schedules we tested (32 of 32), though unusual expressions with special characters might need manual review.
Does Apache Airflow run in the same time zone as node-cron?
Not necessarily. Conversion changes the syntax, not the time zone. Check where each system evaluates the schedule before you rely on the same clock times.