Cron Expression for Every 2 Hours
0 */2 * * *At 0 minutes past the hour, every 2 hours. Periodic backups of fast-changing data or recalculating recommendations.
Field-by-field breakdown
| Field | Value | Allowed range | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0 | 0–59 | at minute 0 |
| Hour | */2 | 0–23 | every 2 hours |
| Day of month | * | 1–31 | every day of the month |
| Month | * | 1–12 | every month |
| Day of week | * | 0–6 (Sunday = 0) | every day of the week |
Next 5 runs (your time zone)
Calculating upcoming runs…
Cron uses the time zone of the machine or scheduler that runs it, which is often UTC on servers.
How to use this schedule
crontab
0 */2 * * * /path/to/script.sh >> /var/log/job.log 2>&1Kubernetes CronJob
apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: CronJob
metadata:
name: my-job
spec:
schedule: "0 */2 * * *"
jobTemplate:
spec:
template:
spec:
containers:
- name: my-job
image: busybox
command: ["sh", "-c", "echo running"]
restartPolicy: OnFailureGitHub Actions
on:
schedule:
- cron: '0 */2 * * *' # UTCFrequently Asked Questions
What is the cron expression for every 2 hours?
Use "0 */2 * * *". In plain English: At 0 minutes past the hour, every 2 hours.
What does "0 */2 * * *" mean?
Minute: at minute 0; Hour: every 2 hours; Day of month: every day of the month; Month: every month; Day of week: every day of the week.