Cron expression: every minute

* * * * * runs every minute. Here is what each field means, when it runs next and how to use it in crontab, GitHub Actions, Kubernetes and Node.js.

Updated

* * * * *
Cron expression
Every minute
Schedule

Open in the Cron Expression Generator →

What * * * * * means

Cron reads five fields from left to right: minute, hour, day of the month, month and day of the week. For every minute they are:

FieldValueMeaningAllowed
Minute*every minute0–59
Hour*every hour0–23
Day of month*every day of the month1–31
Month*every month1–12
Day of week*every day of the week0–6 (Sun–Sat)

Next runs

Calculated in your browser for your time zone. On a server, cron uses the server’s time zone (often UTC).

  1. Enable JavaScript to see the next run times.

Typical uses

  • Polling a queue or inbox
  • Health checks and heartbeats
  • Testing that cron runs at all

Good to know

Runs 1,440 times a day. Make sure the job finishes in well under a minute, or use a lock (flock) so runs don’t overlap.

Use it in crontab, GitHub Actions, Kubernetes and Node.js

crontab (crontab -e):

* * * * * /usr/local/bin/my-job.sh >> /var/log/my-job.log 2>&1

GitHub Actions (times are UTC): GitHub Actions runs schedules at most every 5 minutes, so this one would be throttled there.

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '* * * * *'

Kubernetes CronJob:

apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: CronJob
metadata:
  name: my-job
spec:
  schedule: "* * * * *"
  concurrencyPolicy: Forbid
  jobTemplate:
    spec:
      template:
        spec:
          restartPolicy: OnFailure
          containers:
            - name: my-job
              image: alpine:3
              command: ["sh", "-c", "echo running"]

Node.js (node-cron):

import cron from 'node-cron';
cron.schedule('* * * * *', () => {
  // your job
});

Related schedules

Build your own scheduleTurn any schedule into a cron expression — or any expression into plain English — with the next run times.
Open the Cron Generator

Frequently asked questions

What is the cron expression for every minute?
* * * * *. It runs every minute.
Which time zone does cron use?
Classic cron uses the server’s local time zone, and many servers run in UTC. GitHub Actions always uses UTC. Kubernetes CronJobs use the controller’s time zone unless you set spec.timeZone (for example Europe/Berlin).
How do I test a cron expression?
Paste it into the Cron Expression Generator to see it in plain English with the next run times, then check your job’s log after the first scheduled run.