Cron Reference

Cron Every 20 Minutes

Cron expression */20 * * * * means Every 20 minutes.

Cron expression to run a job every 20 minutes: */20 * * * *. Runs three times per hour — a convenient interval for regular data refresh without overloading your server.

Cron Expression

*/20 * * * *
*/20Minute
*Hour
*Day
*Month
*Weekday

Common use cases

  • Refreshing cached third-party API data
  • Aggregating analytics events in batches
  • Auto-saving long-form content in web apps
  • Checking for software or config updates

Want to customize this schedule?

Open it in the visual builder to tweak the expression interactively.

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Need to monitor this cron job?

Cronhub tracks your scheduled jobs and alerts you if they fail or run late.

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Platform usage examples

Linux / Unix — crontab
# Edit your crontab
crontab -e

# Add this line to run every 20 minutes
*/20 * * * * /usr/bin/php /var/www/html/script.php

# Or run a shell script
*/20 * * * * /home/user/scripts/job.sh >> /var/log/job.log 2>&1
GitHub Actions
# .github/workflows/scheduled.yml
name: Scheduled Job

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '*/20 * * * *'

jobs:
  run:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Run job
        run: echo "Running every 20 minutes"
Kubernetes CronJob
apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: CronJob
metadata:
  name: my-scheduled-job
spec:
  schedule: "*/20 * * * *"
  jobTemplate:
    spec:
      template:
        spec:
          containers:
          - name: job
            image: my-image:latest
          restartPolicy: OnFailure

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Frequently asked questions

What is the cron expression for every 20 minutes?

The cron expression is */20 * * * *. Cron expression to run a job every 20 minutes: */20 * * * *. Runs three times per hour — a convenient interval for regular data refresh without overloading your server.

How do I schedule a cron job to run every 20 minutes in Linux?

Open your crontab with "crontab -e" and add a new line: */20 * * * * /path/to/your/script.sh — this schedules your script to run every 20 minutes. Save and exit; the cron daemon picks up the change immediately.

What does the cron expression "*/20 * * * *" mean?

Cron expression to run a job every 20 minutes: */20 * * * *. Runs three times per hour — a convenient interval for regular data refresh without overloading your server.

Can I use "*/20 * * * *" in GitHub Actions?

Yes. In your workflow YAML, set the schedule trigger: on: schedule: - cron: '*/20 * * * *'. GitHub Actions uses standard 5-field Unix cron syntax, so this expression works as-is.

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