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AWS EventBridge cron expression: every 6 hours
To run a AWS EventBridge job every 6 hours, use:
0 */6 * * ? *At minute 0, every 6 hours.
Your week at a glance
Upcoming runs
| # | Local | UTC | From now |
|---|
Copy-ready code
Why use this schedule
Four runs a day at 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00. A popular backup and report rhythm.
- Incremental backups
- Re-crawling sitemaps
- Recomputing leaderboards
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, 06:00:00 |
| 3 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 12:00:00 |
| 4 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 18:00:00 |
| 5 | Sat, 02 Jan 2027, 00:00:00 |
| 6 | Sat, 02 Jan 2027, 06:00:00 |
Every 6 hours in every dialect
| System | Expression |
|---|---|
| AWS EventBridge (this page) | 0 */6 * * ? * |
| Quartz | 0 0 */6 * * ? |
| Spring | 0 0 */6 * * * |
| Crontab | 0 */6 * * * |
| Kubernetes | 0 */6 * * * |
| Jenkins | H */6 * * * |
| GitHub Actions | 0 */6 * * * |
| node-cron | 0 */6 * * * |
| Apache Airflow | 0 */6 * * * |
| Azure Functions | 0 0 */6 * * * |
| Google Cloud Scheduler | 0 */6 * * * |
Need to translate a different expression? Use the cron converter.
Ready-to-use AWS EventBridge config
Drop this into your project. The expression is the one above.
cron(0 */6 * * ? *)aws events put-rule --name my-rule --schedule-expression "cron(0 */6 * * ? *)"The AWS EventBridge fields, in order: minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day-of-month (1-31), month (1-12), day-of-week (1-7, 1 = Sunday), year (1970-2199, required).
Things to watch out for in AWS EventBridge
- For simple fixed intervals, a rate() expression such as rate(15 minutes) is easier than cron.
- Six fields with a required year: minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week, year. There is no seconds field.
- EventBridge rules always run in UTC. If you want a local time zone with DST support, use EventBridge Scheduler instead.
The common mistake with this schedule
The hours are fixed on the clock, not relative to when you deployed. Deploying at 07:00 does not make the next run 13:00.
Frequently asked questions
How do I run a AWS EventBridge job every 6 hours?
Use 0 */6 * * ? *. At minute 0, every 6 hours.
What is the every 6 hours cron expression in other systems?
Quartz: 0 0 */6 * * ?; Spring: 0 0 */6 * * *; Crontab: 0 */6 * * *. The table on this page lists every dialect.
Which time zone does AWS EventBridge use for this schedule?
EventBridge rules always run in UTC. If you want a local time zone with DST support, use EventBridge Scheduler instead.