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Crontab cron expression: every 5 minutes
To run a Crontab 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 |
|---|---|
| Crontab (this page) | */5 * * * * |
| Quartz | 0 */5 * * * ? |
| Spring | 0 */5 * * * * |
| Kubernetes | */5 * * * * |
| AWS EventBridge | */5 * * * ? * |
| Jenkins | H/5 * * * * |
| GitHub Actions | */5 * * * * |
| node-cron | */5 * * * * |
| Apache Airflow | */5 * * * * |
| Azure Functions | 0 */5 * * * * |
| Google Cloud Scheduler | */5 * * * * |
Need to translate a different expression? Use the cron converter.
Ready-to-use Crontab config
Drop this into your project. The expression is the one above.
*/5 * * * * /path/to/command >> /var/log/job.log 2>&1The Crontab 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 Crontab
- A step such as */15 restarts at the top of each unit, so it only gives even gaps when the step divides 60 (minutes) or 24 (hours).
- Cron runs in the server's local time zone. Check it with the date command, or put CRON_TZ=Asia/Kolkata above the line on cronie-based systems.
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 Crontab 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 * * * *; Kubernetes: */5 * * * *. The table on this page lists every dialect.
Which time zone does Crontab use for this schedule?
Cron runs in the server's local time zone. Check it with the date command, or put CRON_TZ=Asia/Kolkata above the line on cronie-based systems.