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What is a Cron?

Cron is driven by a crontab, a UNIX configuration file that specifies shell commands to run periodically on a given schedule. Derived from the word chronograph, a cronjob is a automated time based server function that will execute a script or command at predetermined time intervals.

Have you ever needed to automatically run a PHP script at specific times of the day or week? A cron will do just that for you. It can be used for a multitude of tasks from automatically checking email, running aggregation scripts, backing up or synchronising databases to automating the sending of tweets to Twitter! For anybody involved in web development cronjobs are used regularly as a powerful tool to automate a huge range of tasks.

I have about 200 active crons that do just about everything from running automated Twitter accounts, sending daily digest emails for certain sites, checking email for an email ‘shoutbox’ and to periodically update weather on a site I run for airline pilots. You name it – I do it!

The Problem

Cron syntax is rather complicated and extremely daunting to the uninitiated. For that reason, many hosting providers have created web based tools as part of their control panel offering to help in the creation of automated tasks by automatically creating a cron file with the help of an intuitive web interface.

Many hosting providers limit the types of crons that can be run and they will carefully scrutinise the resources and server processing power a script will consume. They may limit the time of day a script will be executed or limit the frequency in which scripts can be run.

When a user is confronted with hurdles that prevent direct control over their scheduled tasks it can cause costly delays waiting for support crew to examine their requests. You can, however, use third-party applications to directly manage all your cron requirements effectively giving your complete control over your automation.

WebBasedCron.com

WebBasedCron.com is an excellent service and one that I’m prepared to recommend. For over 5 years they have provided a cron service and have run millions of cronjobs. Their service is exceptional. They continue to upgrade their infrastructure, they respond to support requests in a timely manner and their uptime is excellent.

There are a large number of organisations proving either free or paid cron services but, like everything on the web, you get what you pay for. Although WebBasedCron.com is not free they do provide a two week trial – yet they do provide far more than your typical provider. For example, WebBasedCron.com is the only online service that I could find that lets you set a cron to run every single minute.

Despite the clunky and seemingly outdated administration area it is very functional and easy to use. The output of the cron is generally outputted to null but there are email options to have comprehensive information sent to you on every execution – not practical if you run scripts frequently but handy when you are required to validate certain critical tasks. They also have a useful RSS feed to keep track of account information.

WebBasedCron Cron Panel

Setting up a Cronjob

You can visit WebBasedCron.com here or read their blog here. If you trial their service, let mw know what you think.

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