A task should run regularly. There is the cron on your own server, the cron management at your host, and the call from outside. This page says which one is right when – including when that is not us. And why the difference is small with one project and decisive with twenty.
→ every five minutes, around the clock
The comparison
It is not the feature list that decides, it is the prerequisite: do you have a server you can reach over SSH? Then much is easier. If all you have is a hosting plan and an address, things look different.
| Your own servercrontab, systemd | Host's cron managerin the control panel | Call from outsideCronjob.de | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite | demandingSSH access and a server somebody maintains | depends on the planA plan that includes cron jobs at all | lowAn address a browser can open |
| Shortest interval | every minute* * * * * | often dailySome plans only know once, daily, weekly, monthly | every minuteFree plan in five-minute steps |
| Keeps running when your server is down | noThe cron sits on the same machine | noSame machine, same fate | yesThe interval comes from outside and reports the outage |
| Do you notice a failure | build it yourselfOnly with monitoring of your own | usually notA failed run stays silent | by emailWith name, address and error text, from Unlimited |
| What the server replied | in your logsIf you redirect the output | rarelyOften just "executed" | 20 runsTime, duration, status code, up to 5,000 characters of the reply – from Plus |
| Managing several projects | one server at a timeTen clients, ten crontabs, ten logins | one plan at a timeEvery client has their own control panel | one listAll projects in folders, one login |
| Moving to another host | take it alongThe crontab has to move too | set up againEvery provider does it differently | nothing to doThe address stays, the interval stays |
| Cost | server rent and upPlus your time for upkeep | includedIf your plan has it | from €0Five cronjobs free forever |
Three typical situations
Use your server's own cron.
You have SSH, you have crontab -e, and no time limit. A call from outside only becomes interesting when somebody should notice that the server has stopped answering.
First check what your plan offers.
If the interval your host offers is enough, you need nothing else. If its panel only knows "daily" but your shop has to advance orders, that is too rare.
That is what we are here for.
You have an address and nothing else. This is exactly why we have existed since 2003 – WordPress, Moodle and JTL-Shop all expect a trigger that hosting does not provide.
For agencies and maintainers
If you look after a handful of projects, the problem is not the interval but the overview: every client has a different cron, in a different panel, behind a different login. When one fails, nobody notices – because nobody has all twenty in view.
One folder per client or project, the cronjobs inside.
One login for everything. If somebody belongs to several accounts, they switch in the menu without signing in again.
On the Unlimited plan every colleague gets their own login with their own password, with a role and an audit log.
When a client moves, their cronjob stays where it is. Setting it up at the new host is simply not needed.
Honestly
rsync, a Docker command – we call addresses, not command lines. If there is no script behind a URL, only the cron on the machine itself will do.Cronjob.de in the user agent. If your firewall may not allow that, it will not work.We earn nothing from you choosing the wrong way. A cronjob that is better off with you belongs with you.
Create an account, enter the address, click the schedule. Five cronjobs are free forever, the first 14 days run on the Unlimited plan – no payment details. Afterwards the account moves to the free plan by itself.
Start for free See pricingAbout the hosts. What your plan can do is in the guide for your provider – with source and date. In the table we deliberately name no names: every host is better than us on some points and worse on others, and a selection of those would be advertising, not a comparison.
WordPress, Moodle and JTL-Shop are trademarks of their respective owners. This page comes from Cronjob.de and has no business relationship with those providers.