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Setting up an IONOS cronjob and when a second route helps

IONOS ships a usable cronjob management that can call scripts via the command line or by address. There are two things it cannot do, and that is what this guide is about.

Why at all

Where the built-in solution reaches its limit

In its own help centre IONOS recommends letting at least five minutes pass before a cronjob runs again. The reasoning is sound: with a call every minute, runs can overlap and block the server. But anyone who genuinely needs a one-minute interval, for example for a shop's action scheduler, faces a recommendation working against them.

The second point is traceability. A scheduler at your host generally does not tell you how long your script took, what it answered, or whether that changed over the weeks. Yet that is exactly how you spot an import slowly getting out of hand, long before it stops entirely.

And if the hosting itself is not answering, the scheduler goes down with it. It sits on the same machine. A call from outside notices precisely that and sends you an email.

URL to call
https://ihre-domain.de/ihr-skript.php
Recommended interval
every minute
Tested with
IONOS Webhosting
Sufficient plan
Minute-precise execution starts with the Plus plan, the call log with output with Unlimited.

Setup

Step by step

  1. First decide whether the IONOS cron is enough

    For backups, cleanup work and anything running at intervals of five minutes or more, the cronjob management at IONOS is the simpler route. It can start your script directly with PHP or call it by address using curl. Only read on if you need a tighter interval or a log.

  2. Decide on the address and protect it

    For the external call you need an address reachable without a login. Protect it with a long random parameter that your script checks in its first line.

    https://your-domain.com/your-script.php?key=A-LONG-SECRET

  3. Prevent overlap inside the script

    The IONOS advice is justified. If you use a one-minute interval, set a lock in your script: a file created at the start and removed at the end, or an entry in the database. If a copy is already running, the second one aborts immediately. That solves the overlap problem behind the five-minute recommendation.

  4. Create an account at Cronjob.de

    Registration takes a minute and is free. For the one-minute interval you need the Plus plan; the first 14 days run on Unlimited anyway.

  5. Create a cronjob with that address

    Enter the address and set the schedule, by clicking, as a crontab expression, or by describing the interval in one sentence.

    * * * * *

  6. Switch on error notifications

    Enter an email address in the folder settings. You will then also be notified when your hosting is not reachable at all.

Verification

Is it actually running?

In the Cronjob.de call log you see the time, runtime, status code and your script response for every call. If you built in a lock, the runtime should stay even and no call should end in an error.

FAQ

Common questions about IONOS

Is the IONOS five-minute recommendation a hard limit?
No, IONOS describes it as a recommendation and justifies it with overlapping processes. Anyone who sets a lock in their script no longer has that problem.
Can IONOS call scripts by address too?
Yes. IONOS names curl for that, which simulates a call through the browser and respects your own php.ini settings. The difference from us is not in the call but in the log and the notification.
Should I switch off the IONOS cron?
If you would trigger the same task from both sides, yes. Otherwise two schedules run side by side and you can no longer tell which run came from where.
What happens if my script takes longer than 60 seconds?
We abort the call then. In PHP you can still let the script keep running, with set_time_limit(0) and ignore_user_abort(true) in the first line. Usually it is better to split the work into chunks.

Create your cronjob now

Create an account, enter the address, click the schedule. Three cronjobs are free forever, the first 14 days run on the Unlimited plan.

Start for free See pricing

More guides

Official documentation of IONOS

The details about IONOS come from their own documentation, as of September 2026. Please check there whether anything has changed since. IONOS is a trademark of its respective owner. This guide comes from Cronjob.de and has no business relationship with that provider.