Cron recipe
Cron job every 5 minutes: the exact expression
The expression
*/5 * * * *Paste it into crontab -e, your platform cron config, or tool.crontap.com/cronjob-debugger to preview the next runs.
What it does
Runs at :00, :05, :10, … :55 each hour. This is the most common step interval for production sync jobs.
When to use it
Data sync and ETL slices
Incremental imports from Stripe, HubSpot, or a warehouse staging table.
Report freshness
Refresh a materialized view or dashboard cache before the Monday standup.
External HTTP cron
Hit a serverless function or webhook on a predictable cadence without keeping a process alive.
Common variations
2-59/5 * * * *Every 5 minutes offset by 2 (avoids stacking with another job at :00).
Run this with Crontap
External HTTP cron hits your URL on this schedule, stores every response, and emails you when a run fails. No daemon on the box, no drift when the server reboots. Pro schedules down to a 1-minute cadence; $3.25/mo annual flat for unlimited jobs.
Related recipes
- every minute
* * * * * - every 10 minutes
*/10 * * * * - every 15 minutes
*/15 * * * * - every 30 minutes
*/30 * * * * - every hour
0 * * * *
More patterns in the cron syntax cheat sheet and what is a cron job in Linux.
FAQ
- What is the cron expression for every 5 minutes?
- Use */5 * * * * (standard five-field cron). Verify the next run times in the free cron debugger before you deploy.
- Can Crontap run this schedule?
- Yes. Crontap fires five-field expressions on your chosen cadence (1-minute floor on Pro), with per-schedule IANA timezones, retries, and failure alerts. Pro is $3.25/mo billed annually.