Automating Your Workflow
Cron Jobs are scheduled tasks that run automatically at specified intervals. They are essential for repetitive maintenance work, such as clearing temporary files, processing email queues, or generating daily database backups. The FREAKHOSTING Web Control Panel provides a user-friendly interface for managing these tasks without needing to touch the system crontab.Difficulty
Intermediate
Time
6 Minutes
Setting Up a Cron Job
Access Cron Manager
Log in to the Web Panel and go to Advanced -> Cron jobs.
Configure the Schedule
You can use our Presets for common intervals (Every Minute, Every Hour, Daily at Midnight) or enter a custom schedule using standard cron syntax (
* * * * *).Enter the Command
Specify the script you want to run. Most often, this involves executing a PHP script:
php /home/username/public_html/cron.phpCommon Cron Command Examples
| Task | Command Example |
|---|---|
| Run PHP Script | php /home/path/to/your/script.php |
| Clear Cache Folder | rm -rf /home/path/to/cache/* |
| Request a URL | curl -s https://test.com/run-task |
| Python Script | python3 /home/path/to/script.py |
Managing Existing Tasks
- Status: You can temporarily disable a cron job by clicking the Pause icon. This prevents the task from running without deleting its configuration.
- Logs: If a command fails to run, check the Cron Logs section to see the output and diagnostic errors from the last execution.
- Deletion: Click the Delete icon to permamently remove a scheduled task.
Expert Tips
Understanding Cron Syntax
Understanding Cron Syntax
The five stars represent:
Minute hour day month weekday. For example, 0 2 * * * would run every day at 2:00 AM.Avoiding Overlap
Avoiding Overlap
Do not schedule heavy tasks (like full site backups) to run every minute. This can put unnecessary strain on your account resources and potentially cause server sluggishness.
Email Notifications
By default, the server sends an email containing the task output to your account’s primary email address every time a cron job finishes. You can silence this by adding>/dev/null 2>&1 to the end of your command.Need Extra Help?
If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:- Live Chat: Quick assistance via our website.
- Support Ticket: Open a Ticket
- Discord: Join our Community
Last Updated: January 2026 | FREAKHOSTING: Automate with Confidence.