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Kubernetes Cron Expressions
Production-tested cron schedules for Kubernetes CronJobs. Database maintenance, cache refresh, log cleanup, and more — ready for your `spec.schedule` field.
Featured Patterns
*/5 * * * *
Kubernetes CronJob — Every 5 Minutes
Schedules a Kubernetes CronJob to run every 5 minutes. A common K8s CronJob schedule for frequent batch processing, queue draining, and periodic data collection in Kubernetes clusters.
K8s CronJob batch processingKubernetes queue drain job
0 * * * *
Kubernetes CronJob — Hourly
Runs a Kubernetes CronJob every hour on the hour. One of the most common `spec.schedule` values for K8s CronJobs, used for hourly data sync, cache refresh, and recurring Kubernetes workloads.
Hourly K8s CronJobKubernetes hourly data sync
0 0 * * *
Kubernetes CronJob — Daily at Midnight
Schedules a Kubernetes CronJob to run at midnight UTC every day. Standard K8s CronJob schedule for nightly data processing, daily database cleanup jobs, and midnight Kubernetes batch operations.
Midnight K8s CronJobNightly Kubernetes batch job
0 3 * * *
Kubernetes CronJob — Nightly Backup at 3 AM
Runs a Kubernetes CronJob for nightly backup at 3:00 AM UTC. A dedicated K8s CronJob schedule for persistent volume snapshots, database backups, and nightly Kubernetes data archival.
K8s nightly backup jobKubernetes volume snapshot
0 9 * * 1
Kubernetes CronJob — Weekly on Monday
Triggers a Kubernetes CronJob every Monday at 9:00 AM. A weekly K8s CronJob schedule for Monday maintenance tasks, weekly data aggregation, and recurring Monday Kubernetes workloads.
Weekly K8s maintenanceMonday Kubernetes job
0 0 1 * *
Kubernetes CronJob — Monthly Cleanup on 1st
Schedules a Kubernetes CronJob for monthly cleanup at midnight on the 1st. Used for monthly K8s pod log rotation, persistent storage cleanup, and first-of-month Kubernetes resource management.
Monthly K8s cleanup jobK8s log rotation monthly
0 2 * * 0
Kubernetes CronJob — Database Maintenance Sunday 2 AM
Runs a Kubernetes CronJob for database maintenance every Sunday at 2:00 AM. An off-peak K8s maintenance window for database vacuuming, index rebuilds, and weekly Kubernetes DB optimization jobs.
K8s database maintenanceWeekly Kubernetes DB job
*/15 * * * *
Kubernetes CronJob — Cache Refresh Every 15 Minutes
Runs a Kubernetes CronJob every 15 minutes for cache refresh and validation. A frequently-used K8s CronJob schedule for distributed cache invalidation, TTL-based refresh, and regular Kubernetes state synchronization.
K8s cache refresh jobKubernetes distributed cache sync
*/5 * * * *
Every 5 Minutes
Runs every 5 minutes, 288 times per day. One of the most popular cron schedules for frequent background jobs.
Health checksCache refresh
0 * * * *
Every Hour (at :00)
Runs once at the top of every hour (:00), 24 times per day. The standard hourly cron schedule.
Hourly reportsCache invalidation
0 2 * * *
Daily at 2:00 AM
Runs once per day at 2:00 AM UTC. Popular for backup jobs run during low-traffic hours.
Full database backupNightly data export
0 1 * * 0
Weekly Backup on Sunday at 1 AM
Runs every Sunday at 1:00 AM — a standard weekly full backup schedule timed to avoid weekend peak hours.
Full weekly database backupSunday maintenance window
Related Patterns
*/45 * * * *
Every 45 Minutes
Runs every 45 minutes. Note: because 45 doesn't divide 60 evenly, runs occur at :00 and :45 each hour.
15 * * * *
Hourly at :15
Runs at 15 minutes past every hour (:15), 24 times per day. Useful when you want to offset from other hourly jobs.
30 * * * *
Hourly at :30
Runs at 30 minutes past every hour (:30), 24 times per day.
45 * * * *
Hourly at :45
Runs at 45 minutes past every hour (:45), 24 times per day.
0 */4 * * *
Every 4 Hours
Runs every 4 hours (00:00, 04:00, 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, 20:00), 6 times per day.
0 3 * * *
Daily at 3:00 AM
Runs once per day at 3:00 AM UTC. Often used for heavy batch jobs during minimal traffic.
0 4 * * *
Daily at 4:00 AM
Runs once per day at 4:00 AM UTC.
0 0 * * 2
Weekly on Tuesday at Midnight
Runs once a week on Tuesday at midnight UTC.
Kubernetes Notes
Timezone support: K8s 1.27+ supports the `timeZone` field in CronJob spec. For earlier versions, offset your UTC time manually.
Concurrency policy: Use `concurrencyPolicy: Forbid` to prevent overlapping job runs, or `Replace` to cancel running jobs before starting new ones.
History limits: Set `successfulJobsHistoryLimit: 3` and `failedJobsHistoryLimit: 1` to prevent pod accumulation.