Cron Expression for Every Hour
The cron expression 0 * * * * runs every hour at the top of the hour. Perfect for regular maintenance tasks, data processing, and scheduled reports.
Cron Expression
Format: minute hour day month weekday (e.g., "*/5 * * * *" for every 5 minutes)
About This Schedule
Expression: 0 * * * *
Frequency: Every hour at the top of the hour (00:00, 01:00, 02:00, etc.)
Common Uses:
- Regular maintenance and cleanup tasks
- Data processing and ETL jobs
- Scheduled reports and analytics
- Database optimization and indexing
- System health monitoring and alerts
Note: This is a moderate-frequency schedule suitable for most business applications.
Results
Enter a cron expression to see the results here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this run 24 times a day?
Yes, this cron expression runs at minute 0 of every hour (00:00, 01:00, 02:00, etc.), resulting in exactly 24 executions per day.
Can I run it at a different minute, like 15 minutes past the hour?
Yes! Change the first field to your desired minute. For example, '15 * * * *' runs at 15 minutes past every hour (00:15, 01:15, etc.).
What if my task takes longer than an hour?
If a task takes longer than an hour, the next scheduled run will start anyway. Use job locking mechanisms or consider running less frequently to avoid overlap.
Is hourly suitable for production monitoring?
Yes, hourly is a standard frequency for many production tasks. It's frequent enough for most monitoring needs while being light on resources.
Practical Examples
Log Rotation
Rotate and compress application logs to manage disk space.
Database Cleanup
Remove old or expired records from the database.
API Data Refresh
Fetch and cache data from external APIs.
Common Issues & Solutions
Tasks running longer than expected? Add logging to track execution time and identify bottlenecks in your scripts.
Missing executions? Check system logs (/var/log/cron or journalctl) to verify the cron daemon is running and your script has proper permissions.
Concurrent execution issues? Use flock or similar tools to ensure only one instance runs at a time: '0 * * * * flock -n /tmp/script.lock /path/to/script.sh'