Kubernetes CronJob Schedule Generator

A Kubernetes CronJob uses the standard five-field cron format in spec.schedule. Check when it will fire and copy a complete manifest.

Kubernetes CronJob expression

Schedule time zone

Your week at a glance

fewer more runs

Upcoming runs

#	Local	UTC	From now

Five fields: minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week.
Since Kubernetes 1.27, set spec.timeZone (for example Asia/Kolkata). Without it, the schedule uses the time zone of the kube-controller-manager, which is often UTC.
Set concurrencyPolicy: Forbid if a slow run must not overlap the next one.
If both day-of-month and day-of-week are restricted, the job runs when either matches.

Ready-made expressions for the schedules people search for most. Each page explains the expression and shows the first run times.

Schedule	Expression
Every minute	`* * * * *`
Every 5 minutes	`/5 * * *`
Every 10 minutes	`/10 * * *`
Every 15 minutes	`/15 * * *`
Every 30 minutes	`/30 * * *`
Every hour	`0 * * * *`
Every 2 hours	`0 /2 * *`
Every 3 hours	`0 /3 * *`
Every 6 hours	`0 /6 * *`
Every 12 hours	`0 0,12 * * *`
Twice a day at 9am and 9pm	`0 9,21 * * *`
Every day at midnight	`0 0 * * *`
Every day at 2:00 AM	`0 2 * * *`
Every day at 9:00 AM	`0 9 * * *`
Every day at 6:00 PM	`0 18 * * *`
Every weekday at 9:00 AM	`0 9 * * 1-5`
Every weekday at 8:30 AM	`30 8 * * 1-5`
Hourly during business hours on weekdays	`0 9-17 * * 1-5`
Every 15 minutes during business hours on weekdays	`/15 9-17 * 1-5`
Every Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 AM	`0 10 * * 0,6`
Every Monday at 9:00 AM	`0 9 * * 1`
Every Friday at 5:00 PM	`0 17 * * 5`
Every Sunday at midnight	`0 0 * * 0`
On the 1st of every month at midnight	`0 0 1 * *`
On the 15th of every month at midnight	`0 0 15 * *`
On the last day of every month	`0 0 28-31 * *`
On the first Monday of every month at 9:00 AM	`0 9 * * 1`
On the last Friday of every month at noon	`0 12 * * 5`
On the first day of every quarter	`0 0 1 1,4,7,10 *`
Once a year on January 1st	`0 0 1 1 *`

What time zone does a Kubernetes CronJob use?

The controller's zone unless you set spec.timeZone (stable from 1.27). Always set it explicitly.

Can I use seconds in a CronJob schedule?

No. The minimum interval is one minute.

Why did my CronJob not run?

Common causes: the job missed its window past startingDeadlineSeconds, the CronJob is suspended, or too many missed runs (over 100) accumulated.

Moving a schedule between systems? Use the cron format converter, or read the cron error fixes.