How to Setup a Cron Job in cPanel

Cron jobs run simple commands, shell scripts, and programs written in languages such as PHP, Python, Node.js, and Perl. Basically, any task that can be done in the command line can be automated and run on a set schedule.

Typical uses for a cron job include:

Log management - Delete old logs to prevent them from becoming unmanageable.
Sending emails - Send notifications to users when they approach their resource limits.
Updating software - Automatically check software for updates and apply them.
Backups - Schedule backups for website files and databases

How to set up a Cron Job in cPanel

Access your server using the Terminal feature is as simple as logging into your cPanel account and clicking a couple of links.

Log in to cPanel
The first step is to log in to your cPanel admin area. Your web host will have sent you details on how to do this in your welcome email.
We’ve covered the different methods of logging in to cPanel here.
Click on the Cron Jobs Feature Icon
Under the Advanced Panel, click the Cron Jobs icon to bring up the configuration screen.
Configure Cron Email
To change the email address where output notifications are sent, add the new email address to the Email input box in the Cron Email section.
Once you have entered the new email address, click the Update Email button.
If you do not update the email address, notifications will be sent to the cPanel’s default email address.
If you do not want any Cron Job notification emails to be sent you should add the following to the end of the cron job command:
```
>/dev/null 2>&1
```
Add a new Cron Job
To add a new cron job, scroll down to the “Add a New Cron Job” section and complete the configuration form. The form sets out the frequency in which the cronjob is carried out and the cron job command.
Let’s review these settings in detail:
- Common Settings - This contains common time intervals in which the cron job is to be carried out. These include “Once per minute”, “Once per 5 minutes”, “Once per 15 minutes”, as well as specific times within the hour such as “0” or “6”.
  Selecting a Common Setting will fill the rest of the form’s time settings.
- Minute - Here, you enter the minute settings for the cron job. You can specify an interval with a star, followed by a slash, and then the interval in minutes. For example, */2 is a two-minute interval. Alternatively, you can specify a specific minute such as 6 to run the cron job on the 6th minute of the hour.
  To the right of the Minute box, you will see a dropdown that has some common settings.
You can configure the following settings in a similar way to the minute setting:
- Hour - This setting allows you to set specific hours of the day or an hourly interval.
- Day - This setting enables you to set specific days of the month or a daily interval.
- Month - This setting allows you to set specific months of the year or a monthly interval.
- Weekday - This setting allows you to select specific days of the week (0 is a Sunday through to 6 which is a Saturday), such as every weekday, every weekend, specific weekdays, etc.
Important
It is advisable not to run a cron job too frequently because:
If you choose to run a cron job every minute, the server may not finish executing the cron command before it starts again.
It can use up considerable server resources. A minimum frequency of every 5 or 15 minutes is recommended. Many shared hosting providers require a 15-minute interval as the minimum (check their terms and conditions).
The following setting relates to the command to be run for the cron job:
- Command - This setting is where you specify your cron job command.
  The following example executes a PHP command:
  /usr/local/bin/php /home/thewebmaster/public_html/path/to/cron/script
If you have addon domains you will need to factor in the domain path, as well as the PHP version:
```
  /usr/local/bin/ea-php73 /home/thewebmaster/domain_path/path/to/cron/script
  
```
You should replace “ea-php99” with the PHP version assigned to your domain in the above example. This information can be found in the MultiPHP Manager under the PHP Version column.
Once you have configured all the settings, click “Add New Cron Job”.