Cron Every Day at Midnight

Expression: 0 0 * * *

What Does 0 0 * * * Mean?

• 0 = Minute 0
• 0 = Hour 0 (midnight)
• * = Every day of month
• * = Every month
• * = Every day of week

Common Use Cases

💾 Daily Backups

• 0 0 * * * /scripts/backup-db.sh - Database backup at midnight
• 0 0 * * * rsync -av /data /backup/ - File backup daily

🧹 Cleanup Tasks

• 0 0 * * * find /tmp -type f -mtime +7 -delete - Clean old temp files
• 0 0 * * * /scripts/clear-logs.sh - Rotate log files daily

📊 Daily Reports

• 0 0 * * * /scripts/daily-report.sh - Generate daily analytics
• 0 0 * * * python /scripts/analyze.py - Run daily data analysis

🔄 Data Sync

• 0 0 * * * /scripts/sync-users.sh - Sync user data overnight

Variations

• 0 0 * * * - Every day at midnight
• 0 1 * * * - Every day at 1 AM
• 0 2 * * * - Every day at 2 AM (recommended for backups)