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GitHub Actions cron expression: every 5 minutes
To run a GitHub Actions 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 |
|---|---|
| GitHub Actions (this page) | */5 * * * * |
| Quartz | 0 */5 * * * ? |
| Spring | 0 */5 * * * * |
| Crontab | */5 * * * * |
| Kubernetes | */5 * * * * |
| AWS EventBridge | */5 * * * ? * |
| Jenkins | H/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 GitHub Actions config
Drop this into your project. The expression is the one above.
on:
schedule:
- cron: "*/5 * * * *"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.
- GitHub Actions schedules are always UTC. Convert your local time to UTC before writing the expression.
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 GitHub Actions 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 * * * *; Crontab: */5 * * * *. 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.