# Cron A **cron job** is a scheduled task that runs automatically on specific times on Unix/Linux systems. # How It Works 1. Crontab file - create a schedyle file ("crontab") that lists: 1. What command to run 2. When to run it (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) 2. Crond daemon - A background process checks this file every minute 3. Automatic execution - when the time matches, the command runs automatically ```bash 0 2 * * * /home/user/backup.sh ``` - `0` Run at minute 0 - `2` Run at hour 2 (2 AM) - `*` Every day of the month - `*` Every month - `*` Every day of the week - `/home/user/backup.sh` - The command to run **Result:** Backup script runs automatically every night at 2AM [Archived chat](https://claude.ai/share/d9df574f-b23c-4bee-afa5-13c89de376d4)