---
title: "How do I create a cron job?"
url: "https://ploi.io/documentation/server/how-do-i-create-a-cron-job"
published: "2026-06-15"
last_updated: "2026-06-15"
---

# How do I create a cron job?

Ploi makes it easy to schedule recurring commands on your server with cron jobs — no need to edit the crontab by hand.

Creating a cron job
-------------------

Open your server and go to the **Cron jobs** section, then add a new job. You provide:

- **Command** — the command to run (for example `php8.5 /home/ploi/example.com/artisan schedule:run`).
- **User** — the system user the command runs as, usually `ploi` (or `root` if it needs elevated access).
- **Frequency** — pick a preset (every minute, hourly, nightly at 2 AM, weekly, monthly) or choose **custom** and enter your own cron expression.
- **Description** — an optional note so you remember what the job is for.

Ploi installs the job into the server's `/etc/crontab` for you and writes its output to a per-job log you can view from the panel.

The Laravel scheduler
---------------------

If you run a Laravel application, you only need a single cron job running every minute — Laravel handles the rest from your app's schedule:

```
php8.5 /home/ploi/example.com/artisan schedule:run
```

Set the frequency to **every minute**, and adjust the PHP version and path to match your site.

Custom schedules
----------------

For full control, choose the custom frequency and enter a standard five-field cron expression (`minute hour day month day-of-week`). For example, `0 3 * * *` runs daily at 3 AM. The special `@reboot` value is also supported to run a command at boot.

You can pause, resume, edit or delete a cron job at any time from the same section.