Standard Cron (Linux)
The original Unix cron implementation found on most Linux systems.
Standard Cron: The traditional 5-field cron format (minute hour day month weekday) used by Vixie cron and most Unix-like systems.
Key Features
✅ 5-Field Format
minute hour day month weekday command
✅ Standard Operators
* (any), , (list), - (range), / (step)
✅ Named Values
Months: JAN-DEC, Weekdays: SUN-SAT
File Locations
| File/Directory | Purpose |
|---|---|
| /etc/crontab | System-wide crontab |
| /etc/cron.d/ | Additional system cron files |
| /var/spool/cron/ | User crontab files |
| /var/log/cron | Cron execution logs |
Examples
# Standard Linux cron examples
0 2 * * * /opt/scripts/backup.sh
*/15 * * * * /opt/scripts/monitor.sh
0 0 * * 0 /opt/scripts/weekly-cleanup.sh
0 1 1 * * /opt/scripts/monthly-report.sh