Cron Jobs

Schedule automated tasks and scripts to run at specific intervals.

Creating Cron Jobs

1. Click Add Cron Job
2. Configure schedule:
   • Minute: 0-59 or * for any
   • Hour: 0-23 or * for any
   • Day: 1-31 or * for any
   • Month: 1-12 or * for any
   • Weekday: 0-6 (0=Sunday) or * for any
3. Enter command to execute:
   • PHP script: php /path/to/script.php
   • Shell script: /path/to/script.sh
   • Program: /usr/bin/program
4. Set output:
   • Discard: Ignore output
   • Email: Send output to email
   • Save: Log to file
5. Click Create

Common Cron Patterns

Managing Cron Jobs

View Job Details:

1. Click cron job in list
2. View:
   • Schedule pattern
   • Command
   • Last run time
   • Next run time
   • Status

Edit Cron Job:

1. Click Edit
2. Modify schedule or command
3. Click Save
4. Changes take effect immediately

Enable/Disable:

1. Click toggle to disable
2. Job no longer runs
3. Re-enable anytime

Delete Cron Job:

1. Click Delete
2. Confirm deletion
3. Job removed permanently

Viewing Logs

Check Execution:

1. Click Logs for cron job
2. View recent executions
3. Last run time and duration
4. Exit status (0 = success)

Troubleshooting:

1. View command output in logs
2. Check for error messages
3. Verify script path is correct
4. Test script manually first

Best Practices

• Test commands manually before scheduling
• Use absolute paths (not relative)
• Run resource-heavy jobs during off-peak hours
• Set appropriate output handling
• Monitor cron logs regularly
• Use meaningful job names
• Document purpose of each cron
• Implement error handling in scripts

Example Uses

WordPress Updates:

php /home/user/public_html/wp-cli.phar plugin update --all

Database Cleanup:

mysql -u dbuser -p'password' dbname < /path/to/cleanup.sql

Backup:

/usr/local/bin/backup-script.sh

SSL Renewal Check:

/path/to/ssl-check.sh

[Screenshot: cron-job-list.png] [Screenshot: cron-schedule.png] [Screenshot: cron-logs.png]