Nexcess Cloud — Scheduling Cron Jobs in Linux

Scheduling cron jobs allows you to automate website administration tasks by choosing when the server does a specific action. You can configure cron jobs in Linux from the command line interface or your web hosting control panel or from your Nexcess Client Portal. This guide will show you how to configure cron jobs in the client portal.

Step by step instructions

You can manage cron jobs for your website from the Scheduled Tasks menu of your Site Dashboard.

Login to my.nexcess.net.
You can see the list of your cron jobs under Tasks. You can remove or temporarily disable the existing scheduled tasks or add a new one.
To create a new task, click the Add Task button on the right side of the page. Insert the script and choose when it needs to be executed.

The Nexcess Client Portal allows you to configure scheduled tasks to run monthly, daily, or hourly. Alternatively, you can set the time interval to 5, 15, or 30 minutes. These options should cover most use cases. Adding a more complex cron job is possible from SiteWorx or the Linux command line interface.

After you have specified the script and chosen the frequency, click the Add button, and a new cron job will appear under Tasks.

Frequently asked questions

Sample Answer

Cron jobs are widely used for performing both server and individual website administration tasks. The main difference between system- and user-scheduled tasks is their scope. System cron jobs affect the whole server, while user tasks can only work in the area available to the specific user defined by their permissions.

System cron jobs are often used for server maintenance, including installing updates, running backups, and log rotation. Most system administrators configure additional cron jobs that automate tasks specific to the server environment.

User cron jobs are usually aimed at performing different website administration tasks, including managing email and backups. For example, many security and backup plugins for WordPress use cron jobs to run backups and launch scheduled malware and vulnerability scans.

All cron jobs in Linux have the same structure that defines when the scheduled tasks need to run and what program or script is to be executed — and how. Knowing how to view cron jobs and modify them can help you customize the way specific tasks are performed on your website. The standard structure is:

*  *  *  *  * command to be executed

Most cron jobs are stored in files named crontabs. Each user has a separate crontab that represents a list of cron jobs configured for it. You can view crontabs from the Linux command line interface, SiteWorx, or your hosting control panel. Hosting control panels retrieve the list of cron jobs from the server and present it to you for easier navigation.