Setting up a Joomla cronjob: web cron instead of the lazy scheduler

Setup

Step by step

1. Switch on Web Cron

   In the administrator area go to System › Scheduled Tasks and open Options at the top. In the "Web Cron" section switch Web Cron on and save. Joomla generates the protection key when you save. The finished address then appears in the Webcron Link (Base) field, with a button to copy it.

   https://your-domain.com/component/ajax/?plugin=RunSchedulerWebcron&group=system&format=json&hash=YOUR-HASH

2. Switch off the lazy scheduler

   In the "Lazy Scheduler" section of the same options set the Lazy Scheduler switch to disabled and save. Joomla itself states that it is recommended to disable the Lazy Scheduler when triggering with a cron.

3. Open the address in a browser once

   Call the copied address yourself once. A short JSON response is correct. Error 403 means the key is wrong or Web Cron was not saved. Depending on your search engine friendly URL setting, the address may also start with index.php?option=com_ajax. Use it exactly as Joomla shows it.

4. Create an account at Cronjob.de

   Registration takes a minute and is free. Five cronjobs stay free forever, the first 14 days run on the Unlimited plan, with the one-minute interval.

   Start for free 14 days of Unlimited included, no payment details

5. Create a cronjob with that address

   Enter the full address including every parameter after the question mark. Choose every minute, by clicking or as a sentence for the AI assistant. The Joomla manual recommends this interval so that the task scheduler works to the minute.

   * * * * *

   You can enter this expression at Cronjob.de exactly as it is – the schedule field understands crontab notation. But you do not have to know it: simply click the schedule together instead.

6. Switch on error notifications

   So that you notice when your site stops responding, enter an email address under Notifications. You will then be notified when a call fails. Failure notifications by email are included from the Plus plan, and free during the first 14 days.

What the five fields of an expression like */5 * * * * mean is explained in the crontab reference – with examples and the most common pitfalls. You can build the expression in the crontab generator. Whether you need an outside service at all is shown in the comparison of the three ways.

Verification

Is it actually running?

In the Cronjob.de call log you will see the first calls with status 200 within a few minutes. Inside Joomla the Scheduled Tasks list shows the last run and its result for each task.

FAQ

Common questions about Joomla

Which Joomla version has Web Cron?

Scheduled Tasks and Web Cron have existed since Joomla 4.1, and are also in Joomla 5 and 6. Joomla 3 did not have this scheduler; there the individual extensions handle it themselves.

Why should the Joomla web cron run every minute?

Because one call of the web cron address starts one due task, not all of them at once. If several tasks are due, they are picked up one after another on the following calls. With a call every minute the scheduler works to the minute, as the Joomla manual recommends.

Can I trigger a single task on purpose?

Yes. Append &id= plus the task's number from the task list to the address. That task then runs on every call, even if it is not due according to its own schedule. In that case your cronjob alone sets the interval.

Do I really have to switch off the lazy scheduler?

Joomla recommends it and so do we. According to the manual, otherwise both triggers run tasks, and the Lazy Scheduler may still slow down visits now and then.

Is the key in the address safe?

The key is what protects against outside calls; without it Joomla answers with error 403. Treat the address like a password. With "Reset Access Key" in the options you can generate a new one at any time, but then you have to update the address in the cronjob as well.

What if I do have a command line?

Then, according to the Joomla manual, you can also start the scheduler with php cli/joomla.php scheduler:run, with --all for all due tasks. For web space without a command line, Web Cron remains the documented way.