What does the cron expression */2 * * * * mean?

The cron expression */2 * * * * schedules a job to run every 2 Minutes. The five fields represent: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week.

How do I schedule a cron job to run every 2 Minutes?

Add this line to your crontab: */2 * * * * /path/to/command. Open your crontab for editing with crontab -e and paste the expression followed by your command.

How do I monitor a cron job that runs every 2 Minutes?

Add a heartbeat check: */2 * * * * /path/to/script.sh && curl -fsS https://cronsignal.io/ping/YOUR_CHECK_ID. You'll be alerted if the job doesn't run on schedule.

Cron Every 2 Minutes

Understanding the Expression

The cron expression */2 * * * * breaks down as follows:

Field	Value	Meaning
Minute	*/2	Every 2 minutes
Hour	*	Every hour
Day of month	*	Every day of the month
Month	*	Every month
Day of week	*	Every day of the week

Example Usage

Basic crontab entry

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

With output logging

*/2 * * * * /path/to/script.sh >> /var/log/script.log 2>&1

With monitoring

*/2 * * * * /path/to/script.sh && curl -fsS https://cronsignal.io/ping/YOUR_CHECK_ID

Common Use Cases for Every 2 Minutes

Real-time monitoring: Check system health and service availability
Queue processing: Process background job queues frequently
Cache warming: Keep caches fresh with regular updates
Metrics collection: Gather application and infrastructure metrics

Platform Equivalents

The same schedule expressed across common platforms and schedulers:

Platform	Syntax
Linux crontab	`/2 * * *`
GitHub Actions	`- cron: 'N/A (GHA minimum is 5 minutes)'`
systemd timer	`OnCalendar=*:0/2`
Kubernetes CronJob	`schedule: "/2 * * *"`
AWS EventBridge	`cron(0/2 * * * ? *)`

Timezone Considerations

Fires 30 times per hour — 720 times per day. At this frequency, clock accuracy matters: 30 seconds of NTP drift noticeably affects intervals.

Common Mistakes

GitHub Actions does not support this: GHA has a 5-minute minimum. */2 * * * * will not run as expected.
High blast radius: A bug executes 720 times per day. Always monitor from day one.
AWS EventBridge minimum is 1 minute: */2 works. For sub-minute needs, use Step Functions instead.