Cron Expression for Every Weekday at 8 AM
Run a cron job at 8 AM Monday through Friday using 0 8 * * 1-5. An early business-hours schedule for tasks that must be ready by 9 AM.
Expression
0 8 * * 1-5 At 08:00 Monday through Friday
Use Cases
- • Preparing data and reports before the 9 AM workday begins
- • Warming caches ahead of peak morning traffic
- • Sending early-morning briefings to leadership
- • Running pre-business-hours health checks
Code Examples
Crontab
# At 08:00 Monday through Friday
0 8 * * 1-5 /path/to/your/script.shGitHub Actions
name: Scheduled Job
on:
schedule:
- cron: '0 8 * * 1-5'
jobs:
run:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- run: echo "Running Every Weekday at 8 AM"systemd Timer
[Unit]
Description=Every Weekday at 8 AM timer
[Timer]
OnCalendar=*-*-* *:*:00
Persistent=true
[Install]
WantedBy=timers.targetTips
- ✓ One hour before the typical 9 AM start gives tasks time to complete
- ✓ Useful for cache warming and data pre-computation
- ✓ Combine with alerts so the team knows if the job fails
- ✓ Works well for teams that start between 8:30 and 9:00
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 0 8 * * 1-5 and 0 8 * * *?
0 8 * * 1-5 runs at 8 AM only on weekdays (Mon-Fri). 0 8 * * * runs at 8 AM every day including weekends.
How do I change this to 8:30 AM?
Use 30 8 * * 1-5 to run at 8:30 AM on weekdays.