Use case
A configurable external clock for Netlify functions.
Netlify Scheduled Functions are available on all plans with one-minute UTC cron, a 30-second execution cap, published-deploy scheduling, and no custom payload. Crontap calls a regular HTTP target with IANA timezone, headers, JSON, retries, uptime, and heartbeats.
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The problem
Why this is painful without the right tool
- 30-second max duration on the target function rules out any meaningful batch work without splitting it into smaller chunks.
- Schedules run in UTC and do not accept a custom scheduled payload or POST data.
- Only published deploys run automatically; branch and Deploy Preview functions require manual Run now testing.
- There is no documented per-invocation alert surface for a failed Scheduled Function.
The fix
How Crontap solves it
Crontap calls your https://yoursite.netlify.app/.netlify/functions/X URL from outside Netlify, or call a longer-running backend hosted elsewhere. The target runtime's own duration limit still applies. Cadence and timezone live in Crontap, so changing either is a save in the dashboard, not a deploy. Failures alert to connected email, Slack, Discord, or Telegram channels, plus machine webhook Integrations.
*/5 * * * *One concrete pattern from the dataset, archetyped: a team running Netlify preview alongside Railway prod, with the same scheduled jobs running against the preview env every 5 minutes via Crontap. Same shape, same auth header, same alerting; the only thing that differs between the preview and prod schedules is the URL and the cadence (preview can run slower to keep cost down). For the head-to-head frame, see Crontap vs Netlify Scheduled Functions.
Auth is whatever your Netlify function expects: a bearer token checked in the handler, a Netlify-issued JWT, a custom header. Crontap stores arbitrary headers per schedule and sends them on every run.
FAQ
Common questions
- Can I still use Scheduled Functions alongside Crontap?
- Yes. Keep Scheduled Functions for short UTC jobs co-located with the published deploy. Add Crontap for custom methods, headers or JSON, IANA timezones, centralized retries and alerts, or longer work hosted on another runtime.
- What's the shortest interval Crontap supports?
- Every 1 minute on paid plans. Netlify Scheduled Functions also support one-minute cadence on all plans, so choose Crontap for the external request and monitoring controls rather than a cadence claim.
- How do I get notified if a run fails?
- Choose connected email, Slack, Discord, or Telegram channels under Notifications, or add a machine webhook under Integrations. If the final attempt fails, the payload includes status code, duration, size, error summary, and attempt history.
Ready to fix it?
Point Crontap at any URL. Pick any cron. Done.
WordPress, Shopify, Railway, Cloud Run, Vercel, HubSpot, Ghost, your own box. If it answers HTTP, Crontap can drive it on a clock you can read, in the timezone that actually matters, and page you when something breaks.
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/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron=1
Schedule
"every 5 minutes"
Next
in 23s