Dictionary term
Cron Job
Also called cron · schedule trigger
A cron job is a task scheduled to run automatically at fixed times or intervals, written as a cron expression with five time fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week). Automation tools offer the same idea as schedule triggers.
In plain English
A cron job is a task set to run on a timer, such as every morning at 9 or every 15 minutes, without anyone starting it.
Analogy
Like an alarm clock for software: it goes off at the time you set and starts the job.
Why it matters
Scheduled runs handle work with no natural trigger event, such as nightly syncs, daily reports and periodic cleanups. Each scheduled run can cost executions or credits, so the interval matters.
In practice
An n8n Schedule Trigger with the cron expression 0 9 * * 1 runs every Monday at 09:00 and posts last week's new-lead count to Slack.
Related terms
Sources
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