Curated cron expression
Every 2 Hours Weekdays 9–17: 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5
0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 — business-hour stepped schedule with range/step syntax.
Meaning at a glance
0 9-17/2 * * 1-5
Every two hours between 09:00 and 17:00 on weekdays
Up to five runs on weekdays during business hours.
Next-run example: Preview in validator — typically 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00.
How 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 works
Hour range with /2 step selects 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 on weekdays.
Verify step behavior on your exact cron implementation.
Preview next runs — Vixie vs other parsers may differ slightly.
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0 | Configured as 0 |
| Hour | 9-17/2 | Configured as 9-17/2 |
| Day of month | * | Every value |
| Month | * | Every value |
| Day of week | 1-5 | Configured as 1-5 |
Good use cases
- Business-hour polling
- B2B dashboards
- Office automation
Timezone and daylight-saving behavior
Office timezone required.
Named timezone preserves business window.
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 9-17/2 * * 1-5 | Use directly in a normal five-field user crontab. |
| Kubernetes CronJob | Ready | 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 | Use as spec.schedule; set spec.timeZone when local wall-clock behavior matters. |
| GitHub Actions | Ready | 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 | Use under on.schedule; UTC is the default and an IANA timezone may be specified. |
| Vercel Cron Jobs | Plan / behavior limit | 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 | The expression is valid, but Vercel always uses UTC and Hobby schedules run at most once per day. |
| AWS EventBridge Scheduler | Convert | cron(0 9-17/2 ? * 1-5 *) | Convert to AWS minute-first cron(...), add the required year, and use ? in one day field. |
| Spring @Scheduled | Convert | 0 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 | Use Spring’s six fields by prepending seconds and set zone explicitly when needed. |
| systemd timer | Convert | 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 | Use OnCalendar syntax and validate it with systemd-analyze calendar on the target host. |
Edge cases to check before deployment
- Step in ranges varies by cron implementation.
- Always preview.
Frequently asked questions
What does the cron expression 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 mean?
0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 means “every two hours between 09:00 and 17:00 on weekdays.” Up to five runs on weekdays during business hours.
What are the next run times for 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5?
Preview in validator — typically 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00. Exact timestamps depend on the scheduler timezone and the current time.
What timezone does 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 use?
Office timezone required.
Can I use 0 9-17/2 * * 1-5 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.