Run Cron Every 5 Minutes

Expression: */5 * * * *

How It Works

The */5 means "every 5 minutes" - it runs at minutes 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55.

Real-World Examples

🔄 Monitoring & Health Checks

• */5 * * * * /scripts/health-check.sh - Check server health every 5 minutes
• */5 * * * * curl -s https://api.example.com/health - Monitor API endpoint

📊 Data Sync

• */5 * * * * /scripts/sync-database.sh - Sync database every 5 minutes
• */5 * * * * rsync -av /source/ /destination/ - Backup files periodically

📧 Email & Notifications

• */5 * * * * /scripts/check-alerts.sh - Check and send alerts
• */5 * * * * /scripts/process-queue.sh - Process email queue

🧹 Cleanup Tasks

• */5 * * * * find /tmp -type f -mmin +10 -delete - Clean temp files older than 10 minutes
• */5 * * * * /scripts/clear-cache.sh - Clear application cache

Variations

• */5 * * * * - Every 5 minutes
• */10 * * * * - Every 10 minutes
• */15 * * * * - Every 15 minutes
• */30 * * * * - Every 30 minutes

Best Practices

• Don't run too frequently - every 5 minutes is usually the minimum needed
• Consider system load when scheduling frequent jobs
• Use logging to track job execution and diagnose issues
• Set up alerts for job failures