• Fastest Shipping

  • Free help & advice

  • Hassle-free returns

  • Based in Sydney

How to Set Up a Cron Job to Run a Script on a Raspberry Pi

How to Set Up a Cron Job to Run a Script on a Raspberry Pi

Marcus Schappi |

Setting up a cron job on a Raspberry Pi is a straightforward process that allows you to automate tasks by running scripts at specific intervals. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Access the Raspberry Pi Terminal

  • Ensure your Raspberry Pi is powered on and you are logged in.
  • Open the terminal on your Raspberry Pi, or access it remotely via SSH.

2. Open the Crontab File

  • Type the following command to open the cron table (crontab) editor: 
    crontab -e
  • If it’s your first time using crontab, you may be prompted to choose an editor. The default option is usually fine (nano).

3. Understand the Crontab Syntax

  • The crontab file contains lines that define when and what to run.

  • Each line follows this format:

    * * * * * /path/to/your/script.sh

  • The five asterisks represent the following time units:

    1. Minute (0-59)
    2. Hour (0-23)
    3. Day of the Month (1-31)
    4. Month (1-12)
    5. Day of the Week (0-7, where both 0 and 7 represent Sunday)

  • For example, to run a script every day at 230 AM

    30 2 * * * /path/to/your/script.sh

4. Schedule Your Script

  • Add a line to the crontab file with the desired schedule and the full path to your script.
  • Example to run a script every hour: 
    0 * * * * /home/pi/myscript.sh

5. Save and Exit

  • After adding your cron job, save the file and exit.
  • If you’re using nano, you can do this by pressing CTRL + X, then Y, and finally Enter.

6. Verify the Cron Job

  • To ensure your cron job is set up correctly, you can list all cron jobs by running: 
    crontab -l
  • You should see your newly added job in the list.

7. Testing and Debugging

  • It’s a good practice to test your script manually to ensure it runs as expected.
  • If the script isn’t running via cron, check the cron logs for errors: 
    grep CRON /var/log/syslog

8. Considerations

  • Make sure your script is executable. If not, set the executable permission with: 
    chmod +x /path/to/your/script.sh
  • Always use the full path to your script in the crontab entry to avoid any issues with environment variables.

Conclusion

Setting up a cron job on your Raspberry Pi is a powerful way to automate tasks and run scripts at regular intervals. By following these steps, you can ensure that your scripts execute reliably and on schedule.
Back to top