Cron recipe
Cron job every hour: the exact expression
The expression
0 * * * *Paste it into crontab -e, your platform cron config, or tool.crontap.com/cronjob-debugger to preview the next runs.
What it does
Runs once per hour at minute 0 (top of the hour). Change the minute field to offset, e.g. `15 * * * *` for quarter past.
When to use it
Hourly aggregation
Roll up request logs, billing usage, or analytics events.
Token or certificate rotation checks
Daily is too slow when you need to catch expiry within the hour.
Common variations
30 * * * *Every hour at :30 past, useful to avoid thundering herds 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 30 minutes
*/30 * * * * - every 2 hours
0 */2 * * * - every 3 hours
0 */3 * * * - every 4 hours
0 */4 * * * - every 6 hours
0 */6 * * *
More patterns in the cron syntax cheat sheet and what is a cron job in Linux.
FAQ
- What is the cron expression for every hour?
- Use 0 * * * * (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.