How to run a cron job every 5 minutes: the */5 syntax explained
Running a cron job every 5 minutes uses the step operator in the minute field: */5 * * * *. The */5 means every 5th minute. At the top of each hour the job fires at :00, :05, :10, and so on. This is the standard pattern for health checks, metric collection, and near-real-time polling.
How this is calculated
The slash operator divides the range (0-59 for minutes) into steps. */5 is shorthand for 0,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55. If you need offset timing (e.g. :02, :07, :12), list the values explicitly: 2,7,12,17,22,27,32,37,42,47,52,57. Be aware that running a job every 5 minutes means 288 executions per day. If the job takes more than 5 minutes to complete, overlapping runs can cascade. Add a lock file or use flock to prevent concurrent execution.
Verdict
*/5 * * * * is correct for most every-5-minute use cases. Add locking if the job runtime might exceed the interval. For sub-minute scheduling, cron is the wrong tool. Use a daemon or systemd timer instead.
More Cron scenarios
Frequently asked questions
What is a Cron Job?
What do the 5 parts of a cron expression mean?
What does the asterisk (*) mean in Cron?
How do I run a task every 5 minutes?
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