How to Set up a Crontab File on Linux

This updated guide examines How to Set up a Crontab File on Linux and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Method 1of 2:

Setting up the File

1. Using your favorite editor, create a cron file with a line for each job you wish to schedule, in the format: m h d m w command
   • m minute
   • h hour
   • d day of month
   • m month 1-12
   • w weekday 0-7, Sun,Mon, etc (Sunday = 0 = 7) It is easy to remember if you think of the way one would say a date: Wednesday, July 29, at 10:30, then reverse the order.
2. Load your file into crontab: crontab yourfile

Method 2of 2:

Trying an Example

1. Create a file testCron.txt containing the following lines:
   • # do this every 10 minutes
   • */10 * * * * date >> ~/testCron.log
2. Load it into cron: crontab testCron.txt
3. Wait 30 minutes, check testCron.log, if it works it will update your file with a time stamp 3 times.
4. Remove the crontab so that it does not run forever: crontab -r