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[Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility) 4. / 5. philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder ActiveLibrary[Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility) philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder ======================================= Fluent cron expression builder with human-readable methods v1.2.0(2mo ago)138MITPHPPHP ^8.2CI passing Since Mar 13Pushed 1mo agoCompare [ Source](https://github.com/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder)[ Docs](https://github.com/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder)[ GitHub Sponsors](https://github.com/philiprehberger)[ RSS](/packages/philiprehberger-cron-expression-builder/feed)WikiDiscussions main Synced 3w ago READMEChangelogDependencies (6)Versions (6)Used By (0) PHP Cron Expression Builder =========================== [](#php-cron-expression-builder) [![Tests](https://github.com/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder/actions/workflows/tests.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder/actions/workflows/tests.yml)[![Latest Version on Packagist](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/18f4f0869571dda1e12c50871babd541bc2741c0a7fa57988a21c80e8ebc7a2f/68747470733a2f2f696d672e736869656c64732e696f2f7061636b61676973742f762f7068696c69707265686265726765722f63726f6e2d65787072657373696f6e2d6275696c6465722e737667)](https://packagist.org/packages/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder)[![Last updated](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/421d6ae8d4a7b7407673c0435f58ba160bf67cf31bb4352413a470c8d6d2a1b4/68747470733a2f2f696d672e736869656c64732e696f2f6769746875622f6c6173742d636f6d6d69742f7068696c69707265686265726765722f63726f6e2d65787072657373696f6e2d6275696c646572)](https://github.com/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder/commits/main) Fluent cron expression builder with human-readable methods. Requirements ------------ [](#requirements) - PHP 8.2+ Installation ------------ [](#installation) ``` composer require philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder ``` Usage ----- [](#usage) ### Static Shortcuts [](#static-shortcuts) Use the `Cron` class for common schedules: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\Cron; Cron::everyMinute(); // * * * * * Cron::everyFiveMinutes(); // */5 * * * * Cron::everyTenMinutes(); // */10 * * * * Cron::everyFifteenMinutes(); // */15 * * * * Cron::everyThirtyMinutes(); // */30 * * * * Cron::hourly(); // 0 * * * * Cron::hourlyAt(30); // 30 * * * * Cron::daily(); // 0 0 * * * Cron::dailyAt('14:30'); // 30 14 * * * Cron::weekly(); // 0 0 * * 0 Cron::weeklyOn(1, '09:00'); // 0 9 * * 1 Cron::monthly(); // 0 0 1 * * Cron::monthlyOn(15, '08:00'); // 0 8 15 * * Cron::yearly(); // 0 0 1 1 * ``` ### Preset Intervals [](#preset-intervals) Use builder presets for common intervals: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\Cron; Cron::custom()->everyQuarterHour()->build(); // */15 * * * * Cron::custom()->everyHalfHour()->build(); // */30 * * * * Cron::custom()->everyQuarterHour()->hour('9-17')->build(); // */15 9-17 * * * Cron::custom()->weeklyOnDay('Monday')->minute('0')->hour('9')->build(); // 0 9 * * 1 ``` ### Custom Builder [](#custom-builder) Build complex expressions with the fluent builder: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\Cron; $expression = Cron::custom() ->minute('*/10') ->hour('9-17') ->dayOfWeek('1-5') ->build(); // */10 9-17 * * 1-5 ``` The builder implements `Stringable`, so you can use it directly in string contexts: ``` echo Cron::custom()->minute('0')->hour('*/2'); // 0 */2 * * * ``` ### Next Run Date [](#next-run-date) Calculate the next execution time from a cron expression: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\CronExpression; $expr = new CronExpression('0 9 * * 1'); $next = $expr->nextRunDate(); // Next Monday at 09:00 // With a specific starting datetime $from = new \DateTimeImmutable('2026-03-22 10:00:00'); $next = $expr->nextRunDate($from); // 2026-03-23 09:00 ``` ### Next N Run Dates [](#next-n-run-dates) Calculate multiple upcoming execution times: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\CronExpression; use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\CronScheduler; // Via static method $runs = CronScheduler::nextRuns('0 9 * * *', 5); // Via CronExpression convenience method $expr = new CronExpression('*/5 * * * *'); $runs = $expr->nextRuns(3, new \DateTimeImmutable('2026-03-22 10:00:00')); // [2026-03-22 10:05, 2026-03-22 10:10, 2026-03-22 10:15] ``` ### Overlap Detection [](#overlap-detection) Check if cron schedules produce overlapping execution times: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\CronScheduler; // Check two expressions within a 24-hour window CronScheduler::overlaps('0 9 * * *', '0 9 * * *'); // true CronScheduler::overlaps('0 9 * * *', '0 14 * * *'); // false // Find all overlaps among multiple expressions $overlaps = CronScheduler::findOverlaps([ 'backup' => '0 2 * * *', 'cleanup' => '0 2 * * *', 'report' => '0 9 * * *', ], 24); // [['expressions' => ['backup', 'cleanup'], 'time' => DateTimeImmutable]] ``` ### Interval Analysis [](#interval-analysis) Analyze the timing intervals between cron runs: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\CronInterval; CronInterval::averageInterval('*/5 * * * *'); // 300.0 (seconds) CronInterval::minInterval('0 0 * * *'); // 86400.0 (seconds) CronInterval::maxInterval('0 0 * * *'); // 86400.0 (seconds) ``` ### Validator [](#validator) Validate cron expression syntax: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\CronValidator; CronValidator::isValid('*/5 * * * *'); // true CronValidator::isValid('60 * * * *'); // false CronValidator::isValid('invalid'); // false ``` ### Describer [](#describer) Get human-readable descriptions: ``` use PhilipRehberger\CronBuilder\CronDescriber; CronDescriber::describe('* * * * *'); // "Every minute" CronDescriber::describe('0 * * * *'); // "Every hour" CronDescriber::describe('0 0 * * *'); // "Every day at midnight" CronDescriber::describe('*/5 * * * *'); // "Every 5 minutes" CronDescriber::describe('30 14 * * *'); // "Every day at 14:30" CronDescriber::describe('0 0 * * 0'); // "Every Sunday at midnight" CronDescriber::describe('0 0 1 * *'); // "First day of every month at midnight" CronDescriber::describe('0 0 1 1 *'); // "Every year on January 1st at midnight" ``` API --- [](#api) MethodReturnsDescription`Cron::everyMinute()``string`Every minute (`* * * * *`)`Cron::everyFiveMinutes()``string`Every 5 minutes (`*/5 * * * *`)`Cron::everyTenMinutes()``string`Every 10 minutes (`*/10 * * * *`)`Cron::everyFifteenMinutes()``string`Every 15 minutes (`*/15 * * * *`)`Cron::everyThirtyMinutes()``string`Every 30 minutes (`*/30 * * * *`)`Cron::hourly()``string`Every hour at :00 (`0 * * * *`)`Cron::hourlyAt(int $minute)``string`Every hour at given minute`Cron::daily()``string`Every day at midnight (`0 0 * * *`)`Cron::dailyAt(string $time)``string`Every day at HH:MM`Cron::weekly()``string`Every Sunday at midnight`Cron::weeklyOn(int $day, string $time)``string`Weekly on given day at time`Cron::monthly()``string`First of month at midnight`Cron::monthlyOn(int $day, string $time)``string`Monthly on given day at time`Cron::yearly()``string`January 1st at midnight`Cron::custom()``CronBuilder`Start fluent builder`CronBuilder::everyQuarterHour()``self`Set minute to `*/15``CronBuilder::everyHalfHour()``self`Set minute to `*/30``CronBuilder::weeklyOnDay(string $dayName)``self`Set day of week by English name`CronExpression::nextRunDate(?DateTimeInterface $from)``DateTimeImmutable`Next execution time`CronExpression::nextRuns(int $count, ?DateTimeInterface $from)``array`Next N execution times`CronScheduler::nextRuns(string|CronExpression $expr, int $count, ?DateTimeInterface $from)``array`Next N run dates`CronScheduler::overlaps(string|CronExpression $a, string|CronExpression $b, int $windowHours, ?DateTimeInterface $from)``bool`Check if two schedules overlap`CronScheduler::findOverlaps(array $expressions, int $windowHours, ?DateTimeInterface $from)``array`Find all overlapping pairs`CronInterval::averageInterval(string|CronExpression $expr, int $sampleSize, ?DateTimeInterface $from)``float`Average seconds between runs`CronInterval::minInterval(string|CronExpression $expr, int $sampleSize, ?DateTimeInterface $from)``float`Minimum seconds between runs`CronInterval::maxInterval(string|CronExpression $expr, int $sampleSize, ?DateTimeInterface $from)``float`Maximum seconds between runs`CronValidator::isValid(string $expr)``bool`Validate cron syntax`CronDescriber::describe(string $expr)``string`Human-readable descriptionDevelopment ----------- [](#development) ``` composer install vendor/bin/phpunit vendor/bin/pint --test vendor/bin/phpstan analyse ``` Support ------- [](#support) If you find this project useful: ⭐ [Star the repo](https://github.com/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder) 🐛 [Report issues](https://github.com/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Abug) 💡 [Suggest features](https://github.com/philiprehberger/cron-expression-builder/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Aenhancement) ❤️ [Sponsor development](https://github.com/sponsors/philiprehberger) 🌐 [All Open Source Projects](https://philiprehberger.com/open-source-packages) 💻 [GitHub Profile](https://github.com/philiprehberger) 🔗 [LinkedIn Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/philiprehberger) License ------- [](#license) [MIT](LICENSE) ### Health Score 41 — FairBetter than 87% of packages Maintenance88 Actively maintained with recent releases Popularity9 Limited adoption so far Community8 Small or concentrated contributor base Maturity50 Maturing project, gaining track record Bus Factor1 Top contributor holds 94.1% of commits — single point of failure How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window. **Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores. **Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement. **Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability. ### Release Activity Cadence Every ~4 days Total 5 Last Release 86d ago ### Community Maintainers ![](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/cfd7d24cbbf32400fa13ce0bbe7a31edd2d66a6d4488eafdb3d64c5337bf0435?d=identicon)[philiprehberger](/maintainers/philiprehberger) --- Top Contributors [![philiprehberger](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/8218077?v=4)](https://github.com/philiprehberger "philiprehberger (16 commits)")[![dependabot[bot]](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/29110?v=4)](https://github.com/dependabot[bot] "dependabot[bot] (1 commits)") --- Tags buildertimecronscheduleexpression ### Code Quality TestsPHPUnit Static AnalysisPHPStan Code StyleLaravel Pint Type Coverage Yes ### Embed Badge ![Health badge](/badges/philiprehberger-cron-expression-builder/health.svg) ``` [![Health](https://phpackages.com/badges/philiprehberger-cron-expression-builder/health.svg)](https://phpackages.com/packages/philiprehberger-cron-expression-builder) ``` ### Alternatives [dragonmantank/cron-expression CRON for PHP: Calculate the next or previous run date and determine if a CRON expression is due 4.7k498.1M666](/packages/dragonmantank-cron-expression)[league/period Time range API for PHP 7335.7M22](/packages/league-period)[lorisleiva/cron-translator Makes CRON expressions human-readable 3149.2M37](/packages/lorisleiva-cron-translator)[symfony/scheduler Provides scheduling through Symfony Messenger 9012.8M97](/packages/symfony-scheduler)[florianv/business DateTime calculations in business hours 360781.1k1](/packages/florianv-business)[mult1mate/cron-manager Flexible cron tasks manager for MVC-type applications 40239.1k3](/packages/mult1mate-cron-manager) PHPackages © 2026 [Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)