Cron Expression Parser

Overview

• Converts a cron expression (a 5-field format — minute, hour, day, month, weekday — describing a recurring schedule) into a human-readable description.
• Lets you check when an existing cron expression, such as one in crontab or a CI/CD schedule, actually runs, without having to decode the syntax yourself.
• Supports combinations of *, numbers, ranges (1-5), lists (1,3,5), and steps (*/15).
• Alongside the description, it lists the next 5 run times from now, based on your browser's timezone.

Usage

1. Enter the cron expression you want to parse into the input field (5 fields: minute, hour, day, month, weekday).
2. Click the "Parse" button.
3. A plain-language description of what the cron expression means, along with up to 5 upcoming run times, is displayed.

Example

0 9 * * 1-5

Every Monday-Friday at 9:00

Use Cases

• Checking when a crontab entry or CI/CD schedule (a cron expression) set by someone else actually runs
• Verifying, via the description, that a complex cron expression schedules what it's supposed to during review
• Writing out the meaning of a cron expression in plain language for documentation

FAQ

Notes

• Common combinations produce a clear, readable description, but unusual combinations may fall back to a simpler description that lists each field's value as-is.
• Only the standard 5-field format (minute, hour, day, month, weekday) is supported. 6-field formats that include seconds are not supported.
• Timezone interpretation depends on the execution environment (cron, GitHub Actions, etc.). The "next run times" are reference values calculated using your browser's timezone and may differ from the execution environment's own settings.