Cron Every 20 Minutes
The */20 in the minute field means "every 20th minute." The job runs at minutes 0, 20, and 40 — three times per hour.
Cron Expression
*/20 * * * *Field Breakdown
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | */20 | Every 20th minute (0, 20, 40) |
| Hour | * | Every hour (0-23) |
| Day of Month | * | Every day (1-31) |
| Month | * | Every month (1-12) |
| Day of Week | * | Every day of the week (0-6) |
Variations
*/20 * * * *Every 20 minutes, 24/70,20,40 * * * *Every 20 minutes (explicit form, identical result)*/20 9-17 * * 1-5Every 20 minutes during business hours, weekdaysCommon Use Cases
- Periodic feed and content imports
- Moderate-frequency backups or snapshots
- Recurring report or metric aggregation
Tips & Best Practices
Since 20 divides evenly into 60, the interval is consistent across the top of every hour.
0,20,40 * * * * is an equivalent, more explicit way to write this if you prefer.
Stagger multiple 20-minute jobs (e.g. start at 0,20,40 vs 5,25,45) to spread server load.