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Cron Every 5 Minutes: */5 * * * *

The cron expression for every 5 minutes is */5 * * * *. It runs 288 times per day, and the table below explains every field.

  • Cron expression
    */5 * * * *
  • Schedule
    every 5 minutes
  • Runs per day
    288
  • Runs per 30 days
    8,640
  • systemd OnCalendar
    *-*-* *:0/5:00
  • AWS EventBridge
    cron(0/5 * * * ? *)

What */5 * * * * means

FieldValueMeaning
Minute*/5every 5th minute, starting at minute 0
Hour*every hour
Day of month*every day
Month*every month
Day of week*every day of the week

The five fields of a standard cron expression are, in order: minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week.

When every 5 minutes runs

The first run times in a day are: 00:00, 00:05, 00:10, 00:15, 00:20, 00:25, 00:30, 00:35, 00:40, 00:45, 00:50, 00:55. Over time that is 288 per day, 2,016 per week, about 8,640 per 30 days and 105,120 per year.

Copy-ready syntax for every 5 minutes

crontab

*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh >> /var/log/job.log 2>&1

GitHub Actions

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

GitHub Actions runs scheduled workflows in UTC and may start them a few minutes late when GitHub is busy.

Kubernetes CronJob

apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: CronJob
spec:
  schedule: "*/5 * * * *"
  concurrencyPolicy: Forbid

Setting concurrencyPolicy: Forbid stops a new run from starting while the previous one is still going.

systemd timer

[Timer]
OnCalendar=*-*-* *:0/5:00
Persistent=true

AWS EventBridge

cron(0/5 * * * ? *)

EventBridge cron has six fields and needs a ? in either the day-of-month or the day-of-week field. The simpler rate(5 minutes) form works for fixed intervals.

When to use every 5 minutes

Many systems fetch updated configuration files or feature flags every five minutes to apply changes without restarting. Background email dispatchers also use this window to batch outgoing messages and respect mail server throughput limits.

What can go wrong

If multiple servers share the same cron schedule, they will all execute the task simultaneously and create sudden load spikes. This synchronized thundering herd can overwhelm shared databases or network resources.

Cron uses the time zone of the machine or service running it, so check whether that is UTC or local time before you rely on the clock times above.

Other common schedules

FAQ

What is the cron expression for every 5 minutes?

Use */5 * * * *. It is the standard five-field form accepted by Linux crontab, Kubernetes CronJobs and GitHub Actions.

How many times a day does */5 * * * * run?

288 times per day, or 8,640 over 30 days.

How do I test a cron expression?

Build it in the cron builder, which explains each field in plain English and lists the next run times.

More cron