{"generatedAt":"2026-07-19T03:01:59.596Z","tool":{"id":"cron-tester","name":"Cron Expression Tester","description":"Test cron expressions and see next run times in your timezone. Generate cron from natural language like 'every Monday at 9am'. Free, private, no signup.","category":"devtools","icon":"⏰","keywords":["cron expression tester","cron tester online","test cron expression","natural language to cron","cron next run calculator","crontab guru alternative","cron schedule validator","cron expression checker"],"isNew":true,"remoteCallable":true,"remoteMode":"dedicated_api","riskClass":"L","maxInputBytes":131072,"timeoutMs":2000,"supportsStreaming":false,"url":"/cron-tester/","tags":["devtools"],"faqs":[{"question":"What is a cron expression?","answer":"A cron expression is a string of 5 fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) that defines a recurring schedule. It's used by crontab, systemd timers, CI/CD platforms, and task schedulers to run jobs automatically."},{"question":"How do I test a cron expression?","answer":"Paste your cron expression into the input field, select your timezone, and instantly see the next scheduled run times with human-readable descriptions. The tool supports both 5-field (standard) and 6-field (with seconds) cron formats."},{"question":"Can I generate cron from natural language?","answer":"Yes! Type phrases like 'every Monday at 9am', 'every 5 minutes', 'weekdays at 8:30am', or 'monthly on the 1st at noon' and the tool automatically generates the corresponding cron expression. No API calls — parsing runs entirely in your browser."},{"question":"Is this cron tester free and private?","answer":"Free to use and runs entirely in your browser, your data is not sent to external servers. No account required. Your expressions and schedules stay completely private."},{"question":"What's the difference between Cron Builder and Cron Tester?","answer":"Cron Builder lets you construct cron expressions visually using dropdowns and toggles — ideal when starting from scratch. Cron Tester validates existing expressions, shows when they'll fire, and can generate cron from natural language descriptions."}],"howTo":[{"title":"Validate cron expression syntax","description":"Paste cron expression: '0 8 * * MON' (every Monday 8am). Tester checks syntax, converts to English ('At 08:00 on Monday'), and shows next 5 run times. Catch typos before deployment."},{"title":"Calculate next run time for scheduled jobs","description":"Need to know when your backup cron runs next? Paste expression and current date. Tester shows exact next run datetime. Useful to verify job schedules before SLA commitments."},{"title":"Convert natural language to cron expression","description":"Want 'every 15 minutes' or 'daily at 3pm on weekdays'? Describe it, tester suggests cron. Verify suggested cron is correct by checking next 10 run times."},{"title":"Debug cron jobs that don't run","description":"If a job never ran, check if cron expression is valid. Paste into tester. If it says 'invalid', that's why job never ran. Fix syntax and redeploy."},{"title":"Plan maintenance windows with cron insights","description":"Paste all job crons (hourly backup, nightly cleanup, weekly reports). Tester shows overlap. If too many jobs run at same time, reschedule one to reduce load. Stagger crons efficiently."}],"agentContract":{"toolId":"cron-tester","contractVersion":"2.0.0","remote_callable":true,"remote_mode":"dedicated_api","risk_class":"L","max_input_bytes":131072,"timeout_ms":2000,"supports_streaming":false,"preferred_surface":"dedicated_api","dedicated_api":{"baseUrl":"https://aidevhub.io/api/cron-expression/parse/","openapiUrl":"https://aidevhub.io/api/openapi.yaml","endpoints":[{"method":"GET","path":"/api/cron-expression/parse/","summary":"GET cron-expression/parse"},{"method":"POST","path":"/api/cron-expression/parse/","summary":"POST cron-expression/parse"}],"riskClass":"L","inputMaxBytes":131072,"timeoutMs":2000},"runtime":{"endpoint":"/api/tools/run/","methods":["GET","POST"],"queryParams":[{"name":"toolId","required":true,"description":"Tool identifier"},{"name":"a","required":true,"description":"Primary input"}],"postBodyShape":{"toolId":"string","input":"{ a, b?, c?, mode? }"},"exampleGet":"https://aidevhub.io/api/tools/run/?toolId=cron-tester&a=...","policy":{"riskClass":"L","limit":60,"burst":20,"windowSec":60,"inputMaxBytes":131072,"timeoutMs":2000,"cacheTtlSec":0,"networkEnabled":false,"supportsStreaming":false}}},"relatedTools":[{"id":"cli-ux-linter","name":"CLI UX Linter","url":"/cli-ux-linter/","category":"devtools"},{"id":"ai-cli-generator","name":"AI CLI Generator","url":"/ai-cli-generator/","category":"devtools"},{"id":"csv-endpoint-builder","name":"CSV Endpoint Builder","url":"/csv-endpoint-builder/","category":"devtools"},{"id":"openprose-flow-linter","name":"OpenProse Flow Linter","url":"/openprose-flow-linter/","category":"devtools"},{"id":"trace-context-validator","name":"Trace Context Validator","url":"/trace-context-validator/","category":"devtools"},{"id":"retry-idempotency-contract-builder","name":"Retry & Idempotency Contract Builder","url":"/retry-idempotency-contract-builder/","category":"devtools"}]}}