Cheat Sheets · Cron Cheat Sheet · Cron Every 2 Hours — Crontab Example

Cron Every 2 Hours — Crontab Example

0 */2 * * *

Runs at minute 0 of every 2nd hour (00:00, 02:00, 04:00, …).

Field by field

Field	Value	Meaning
`Minute`	`0`	At minute 0
`Hour`	`*/2`	Every 2nd hour (0, 2, 4, … 22)
`Day of month`	`*`	Every day
`Month`	`*`	Every month
`Day of week`	`*`	Every day of the week

Every 2 hours is ideal for periodic cache refreshing, warmups, and intermediate database rollups. The step */2 in the hour field starts at 0, firing at 00:00, 02:00, 04:00, and so on.

To fire on odd hours instead (01:00, 03:00, 05:00…), set a range before the step: 0 1-23/2 * * *.

0 */2 * * * /usr/local/bin/sync-cache.sh

Related schedules

0 * * * * Every hour 0 */3 * * * Every 3 hours 0 */6 * * * Every 6 hours

FAQ

How do I run on odd hours instead of even hours?
Use a range: 0 1-23/2 * * * starts counting from 1 instead of 0.

Does it run at midnight?
Yes, hour 0 is midnight. If you want to skip midnight, use an explicit list like 0 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22 * * *.

Why minute 0 instead of *?
Writing * */2 * * * means every minute during those hours (60 runs per active hour). Always fix the minute field for hourly cadences.

Stop memorizing — build it interactively

Try this schedule in the Cron Editor

Full reference: Cron Cheat Sheet