Every 15 Minutes
Runs the job every 15 minutes at the quarter-hour marks: :00, :15, :30, and :45 of every hour. This is a widely used interval that provides timely updates without excessive resource usage. Many monitoring and reporting systems default to 15-minute intervals.
*/15 * * * * What is the cron expression for Every 15 Minutes?
The cron expression for Every 15 Minutes is */15 * * * *. This five-field cron schedule uses the format minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. Runs the job every 15 minutes at the quarter-hour marks: :00, :15, :30, and :45 of every hour. This is a widely used interval that provides timely updates without excessive resource usage. Many monitoring and reporting systems default to 15-minute intervals. Common use cases include report generation and data warehouse etl.
Field Breakdown
Example Next Run Times
- 1.
2026-04-05 12:00 - 2.
2026-04-05 12:15 - 3.
2026-04-05 12:30 - 4.
2026-04-05 12:45 - 5.
2026-04-05 13:00
Common Use Cases
- ✓ Report generation
- ✓ Data warehouse ETL
- ✓ Social media feed updates
- ✓ Inventory sync
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 15 minutes a common interval?
It aligns with quarter-hour clock divisions, provides 96 runs per day (manageable for most systems), and is frequent enough for timely data without being resource-intensive. Many business SLAs are based on 15-minute windows.
Is */15 the same as 0,15,30,45?
Yes, they are equivalent. */15 is the shorthand notation. Both run at exactly the same times: on the hour, quarter past, half past, and quarter to.
How do I run at 15-minute intervals starting at minute 5?
Use the list 5,20,35,50 instead of */15. The step syntax always starts from 0 (or the range start), so you need an explicit list for custom offsets.