What does 0 6 * * * in Cron mean?
If you're familiar with Linux or Unix systems, you might have come across the concept of cron jobs. Cron is a job scheduler that allows you to execute commands or scripts at specific intervals. One of the essential components of a cron job is the timing specification, which determines when the job should run. In this article, we'll break down the meaning of 0 6 * * * in a cron timing specification.
Understanding Cron Timing Specification
The cron timing specification consists of five fields, separated by spaces. Each field represents a different aspect of the timing:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Minute | 0-59 |
| Hour | 0-23 |
| Day of the Month | 1-31 |
| Month | 1-12 |
| Day of the Week | 0-6 (0 = Sunday) |
**Breaking Down 0 6 * * * **
Now, let's examine the specific timing specification: 0 6 * * *.
| Field | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0 | The job runs at minute 0 (the start of the hour) |
| Hour | 6 | The job runs at 6 AM |
| Day of the Month | * | The job runs every day of the month (1-31) |
| Month | * | The job runs every month (1-12) |
| Day of the Week | * | The job runs every day of the week (0-6) |
In summary, 0 6 * * * means the cron job will run at 6:00 AM every day, regardless of the day of the month or month.
Practical Example
Suppose you want to run a script that sends a daily report to stakeholders. You can schedule a cron job with the following timing specification:
0 6 * * * /path/to/your/script.sh
This cron job will execute the script script.sh at 6:00 AM every day, sending the daily report to stakeholders.
Conclusion
In this article, we've demystified the meaning of 0 6 * * * in a cron timing specification. By understanding the individual fields and their values, you can create cron jobs that run at specific intervals, automating tasks and making your life easier.
