Curated cron expression
Every 2 Hours Cron Expression: 0 */2 * * *
Understand 0 */2 * * * — even hours at :00 — for aggregation and maintenance windows.
Meaning at a glance
0 */2 * * *
Run every two hours at minute zero
Twelve runs per day on even hours.
Next-run example: At 10:07, next runs are 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00.
How 0 */2 * * * works
Minute 0 with hour step */2 selects 00:00, 02:00, 04:00, and so on.
Even-hour alignment is predictable for capacity planning.
Preview next runs and platform conversions in CronWizard before deploying to production.
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0 | Configured as 0 |
| Hour | */2 | Configured as */2 |
| Day of month | * | Every value |
| Month | * | Every value |
| Day of week | * | Every value |
Good use cases
- Metrics rollups
- Cache warming
- Batch ETL
Timezone and daylight-saving behavior
Hour boundaries follow scheduler timezone.
Local-time schedules may show 23 or 25 hours on DST days.
The expression does not contain a timezone. The scheduler supplies that context. Use the next-run preview above in the same IANA timezone as production, then confirm the target platform's own timezone rules.
Platform compatibility and converted expressions
The source expression is five-field Unix cron. Use the exact equivalent below rather than adding or removing fields by sight.
| Platform | Status | Expression | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unix crontab | Ready | 0 */2 * * * | Use directly in a normal five-field user crontab. |
| Kubernetes CronJob | Ready | 0 */2 * * * | Use as spec.schedule; set spec.timeZone when local wall-clock behavior matters. |
| GitHub Actions | Ready | 0 */2 * * * | Use under on.schedule; UTC is the default and an IANA timezone may be specified. |
| Vercel Cron Jobs | Plan / behavior limit | 0 */2 * * * | The expression is valid, but Vercel always uses UTC and Hobby schedules run at most once per day. |
| AWS EventBridge Scheduler | Convert | cron(0 */2 ? * ? *) | Convert to AWS minute-first cron(...), add the required year, and use ? in one day field. |
| Spring @Scheduled | Convert | 0 0 */2 * * * | Use Spring’s six fields by prepending seconds and set zone explicitly when needed. |
| systemd timer | Convert | 0 */2 * * * | Use OnCalendar syntax and validate it with systemd-analyze calendar on the target host. |
Edge cases to check before deployment
- Starts at even hours only, not every 120 minutes from deploy.
Frequently asked questions
What does the cron expression 0 */2 * * * mean?
0 */2 * * * means “run every two hours at minute zero.” Twelve runs per day on even hours.
What are the next run times for 0 */2 * * *?
At 10:07, next runs are 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00. Exact timestamps depend on the scheduler timezone and the current time.
What timezone does 0 */2 * * * use?
Hour boundaries follow scheduler timezone.
Can I use 0 */2 * * * on every scheduling platform?
No. It is a five-field Unix expression. Some platforms accept it directly, while AWS EventBridge Scheduler, Spring, and systemd require the converted form shown in the compatibility table.