cPanel Tutorial : Creating Cron Jobs in cPanel

There may come a time when you want set up a cron job so one of your scripts can run at a specific time period. With cron jobs, you can configure scripts and commands to automatically perform repetitive tasks on the server. Once set, the job will run at whatever intervals you have specified. A good use for a cron job would be automatically running an auction on your site or deleting temporary files each week to preserve monthly disk storage.

This tutorial will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to set up a cron job in the cPanel control panel. It will cover both the standard and advanced method.

Standard Method

1. At the bottom of the cPanel interface, locate and click the “Cron Jobs” icon.

2. Click on the “Standard” tab.

3. The first option calls for you to enter the email address of where you want the results of the
cron job to be sent. Simply enter the email address in the provided field and move onto the next step.

4. For “Entry 1” you will see the text “Command to run” with a text box beside. Input the command or path to the script you want to run in the field.

5. Below “Command to run”, there are five options that will allow you the set the time and intervals for your cron job. Those options are listed as follows:

Minute(s)
Hour(s)
Day(s)
Month(s)
Weekday(s)

Once you create the cron job, a confirmation page will be displayed stating “Cron Updated”.

6. After making the appropriate selections, click the “Save Crontab” button to create the entry. If you elect to reset the changes and go back to the default settings, simply click the “Reset Changes” button.

7. Click the “Go Back” tab and you will be redirected back to the main Cron Job screen.

8. Check your email address to view the results of the cron job.

Advanced Method

1. From the main Cron Job screen, click the “Advanced (Unix Style) tab.

2. The first option calls for you to enter the email address of where you want the cron job results to be sent. Simply enter the email address in the provided text box.

3. From there, enter the Minute(s), Hour(s), Day(s), Month(s) Weekday and Command in the provided text boxes.

4. Next, click the “Save Crontab” button to create the entry. If want to the reset the changes and revert back to the default settings, simply click the “Reset Changes” button.

5. A confirmation page will be displayed stating “Cron Updated!” Click the “Go Back” button and you will be redirected back to the main Cron Job screen.

6.) Check your email address to view the results of the cron job.

If you want to benefit from cron jobs and use them effectively, you will need to have some familiarity with Linux commands. This is especially true when creating cron jobs in the Advanced Unix variation. For this reason, it is recommended to inquire within your web host about the files and scripts you want to run before executing them.

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