Cron Expression Every 5 Minutes (*/5 * * * *)

// how it works

How `/5 * * *` Works

The expression */5 * * * * uses the step operator (/) in the minute field. */5 means "start at 0 and fire every 5 steps through the full range of 0–59." The remaining four fields are * (every hour, every day of month, every month, every weekday).

This is one of the most common cron expressions — used for polling queues, syncing data, sending heartbeat pings, and cache refreshes.

Field Breakdown

Field	Value	Meaning
Minute	`*/5`	Every 5th minute (0, 5, 10 … 55)
Hour	`*`	Every hour
Day of month	`*`	Every day
Month	`*`	Every month
Weekday	`*`	Every day of week

// next scheduled runs (UTC)

Next 10 Run Times

Approximate run times starting from the current date. Open in the builder to see exact run times in your timezone.

00:00 00:05 00:10 00:15 00:20 00:25 00:30 00:35 00:40 00:45

// copy-paste ready examples

Platform Examples

Linux / Unix crontab

*/5 * * * * /path/to/script.sh

GitHub Actions

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '*/5 * * * *'

AWS EventBridge

cron(*/5 * * * ? *)

Kubernetes CronJob

spec:
  schedule: "*/5 * * * *"

node-cron (Node.js)

cron.schedule('*/5 * * * *', () => { ... });

APScheduler (Python)

scheduler.add_job(fn, 'cron', minute='*/5')

// related expressions

Related Cron Expressions

// frequently asked questions

FAQ

What does */5 mean in a cron expression?

The / character is the step operator. */5 in the minute field means every 5 minutes. It is equivalent to 0,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55.

Is */5 * * * * the same as 0,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55 * * * *?

Yes, they are functionally identical. The step syntax is just a shorter way to express the same list of values.

How do I run a cron job every 10 minutes?

Use */10 * * * * to run at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 minutes past every hour.

Build or explain any cron expression

Use the free visual builder — paste an expression for a plain-English explanation, or click your way to a schedule. See the next 10 run times. No login.

Open CronBuilder →

Cron Expression Every 5 Minutes*/5 * * * *

How */5 * * * * Works