Ansible Cron Jobs

Ansible's cron module allows you to manage cron jobs across multiple servers declaratively. It's ideal for infrastructure-as-code approaches to scheduled tasks.

How to Set Up Cron Jobs in Ansible

Basic cron job with Ansible

Create a cron job using the cron module

Code

# playbook.yml
- name: Configure cron jobs
  hosts: webservers
  tasks:
    - name: Run backup every day at 2am
      ansible.builtin.cron:
        name: "daily backup"
        minute: "0"
        hour: "2"
        job: "/opt/scripts/backup.sh"

Cron job with special time

Use special_time for common schedules

Code

- name: Run cleanup weekly
  ansible.builtin.cron:
    name: "weekly cleanup"
    special_time: weekly
    job: "/opt/scripts/cleanup.sh"
    
# special_time options: 
# reboot, yearly, annually, monthly, 
# weekly, daily, hourly

Manage environment variables

Set cron environment variables

Code

- name: Set cron environment
  ansible.builtin.cron:
    name: PATH
    env: yes
    value: "/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin"
    
- name: API sync with env vars
  ansible.builtin.cron:
    name: "api sync"
    minute: "*/5"
    job: "/opt/scripts/sync.sh"
    user: deploy

Ansible Cron Limitations vs CronUptime

Ansible Limitations

•Still requires server maintenance
•Cron jobs tied to server uptime
•No centralized monitoring across servers
•Debugging failures requires SSH access
•Managing across many servers gets complex

CronUptime Advantages

✓No server infrastructure needed
✓Central dashboard for all scheduled tasks
✓Works with any HTTP endpoint
✓Built-in failure notifications
✓Reduces server management overhead

Why Use CronUptime Instead?

While Ansible cron jobs work for basic use cases, managing infrastructure for scheduled tasks adds complexity. CronUptime offers a simpler, serverless alternative.

No Infrastructure

We handle execution. No servers to maintain.

Reliable Timing

Built on Cloudflare for 99.9%+ uptime.

Any Endpoint

Works with any HTTP endpoint on any platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use the ansible.builtin.cron module with name, minute, hour, day, month, weekday, and job parameters. The name parameter makes the job idempotent.

Set state: absent with the same name: ansible.builtin.cron: name: 'job name' state: absent. The name must match the original.

Yes, use the 'user' parameter: ansible.builtin.cron: name: 'backup' job: '/backup.sh' user: postgres. Default is the Ansible connection user.

Quick Reference

Cron Expression:

*/5 * * * *

Human Readable:

every 5 minutes

Cron Jobs on Other Platforms

Cron Job in Node.js

Node.js

Cron Job in Python

Python

Cron Job List & Management

Linux/Unix

Vercel Cron Jobs

Vercel

Try CronUptime Free

Schedule HTTP requests without managing Ansible infrastructure.

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Create a cron job running every 5 minutes. No sign-up required.