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GitHub Actions cron expression: every 3 hours
To run a GitHub Actions job every 3 hours, use:
0 */3 * * *At minute 0, every 3 hours.
Your week at a glance
Upcoming runs
| # | Local | UTC | From now |
|---|
Copy-ready code
Why use this schedule
Eight runs a day: 00:00, 03:00, 06:00 and so on. Handy when you want regular coverage without hourly load.
- Backing up a small database
- Refreshing weather or price feeds
- Sending reminder sweeps
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, 03:00:00 |
| 3 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 06:00:00 |
| 4 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 09:00:00 |
| 5 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 12:00:00 |
| 6 | Fri, 01 Jan 2027, 15:00:00 |
Every 3 hours in every dialect
| System | Expression |
|---|---|
| GitHub Actions (this page) | 0 */3 * * * |
| Quartz | 0 0 */3 * * ? |
| Spring | 0 0 */3 * * * |
| Crontab | 0 */3 * * * |
| Kubernetes | 0 */3 * * * |
| AWS EventBridge | 0 */3 * * ? * |
| Jenkins | H */3 * * * |
| node-cron | 0 */3 * * * |
| Apache Airflow | 0 */3 * * * |
| Azure Functions | 0 0 */3 * * * |
| Google Cloud Scheduler | 0 */3 * * * |
Need to translate a different expression? Use the cron converter.
Ready-to-use GitHub Actions config
Drop this into your project. The expression is the one above.
on:
schedule:
- cron: "0 */3 * * *"The GitHub Actions fields, in order: 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 GitHub Actions
- GitHub runs scheduled workflows at best every 5 minutes, and runs can be delayed by several minutes at busy times.
- Scheduled workflows only run on the default branch, and public repos pause them after 60 days without activity.
- GitHub Actions schedules are always UTC. Convert your local time to UTC before writing the expression.
The common mistake with this schedule
Eight runs divide 24 evenly, but across a daylight-saving change the local gap can be two or four hours once a year.
Frequently asked questions
How do I run a GitHub Actions job every 3 hours?
Use 0 */3 * * *. At minute 0, every 3 hours.
What is the every 3 hours cron expression in other systems?
Quartz: 0 0 */3 * * ?; Spring: 0 0 */3 * * *; Crontab: 0 */3 * * *. The table on this page lists every dialect.
Which time zone does GitHub Actions use for this schedule?
GitHub Actions schedules are always UTC. Convert your local time to UTC before writing the expression.