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Cron Reference

Every 5 Minutes

Runs every 5 minutes, 288 times per day.

Cron Expression

*/5 * * * * Test in tool

Every 5 minutes

Expression Breakdown

Minute Hour Day Month Weekday
*/5 * * * *
every 5 any any any any

Next 5 Scheduled Runs

  • Saturday, June 13 2026 at 8:50 PM
  • Saturday, June 13 2026 at 8:55 PM
  • Saturday, June 13 2026 at 9:00 PM
  • Saturday, June 13 2026 at 9:05 PM
  • Saturday, June 13 2026 at 9:10 PM

Times are relative to the server's local clock at page load.

Common Use Cases

  • Application health checks
  • Cache warming / pre-generation
  • Queue drainers and polling jobs

How to Install

Linux / macOS (crontab)

Run crontab -e and add this line:

*/5 * * * * /path/to/your/script.sh

Python (APScheduler / cron-style)

scheduler.add_job(my_func, 'cron',
    minute='*/5',
    hour='*',
    day='*',
    month='*',
    day_of_week='*')

GitHub Actions (schedule)

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '*/5 * * * *'

Frequently Asked Questions

What does */5 mean in cron?
*/5 means every 5th value of that field. In the minute field it matches 0, 5, 10, 15 … 55.
How many times does a */5 job run per day?
60 minutes ÷ 5 = 12 times per hour × 24 hours = 288 times per day.
Can I offset the start minute?
Yes. 2/5 * * * * starts at :02 and runs at :02, :07, :12 … This avoids all jobs firing at :00 simultaneously.