Cron Expression: Daily at Midnight (0 0 * * *)
The expression 0 0 * * * sets both the minute and the hour to 0, so the job runs once a day at 00:00 — midnight. The day, month, and weekday fields stay wildcards, meaning every single day.
Midnight is the classic slot for daily batch work: backups, log rotation, report rollups, and cache resets, when traffic is usually lowest. The breakdown and next midnight runs below are computed in your browser.
0 0 * * *At 00:00.
6/25/2026, 12:00:00 AM6/26/2026, 12:00:00 AM6/27/2026, 12:00:00 AM6/28/2026, 12:00:00 AM6/29/2026, 12:00:00 AM| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Minute | 0 | at minute 0 |
Hour | 0 | at 00 (midnight) |
Day of month | * | every day |
Month | * | every month |
Day of week | * | every weekday |
0 0 * * *→Runs once a day at 00:00 (midnight).Cron uses the server's local time zone unless configured otherwise.
Frequently asked questions
What time is 0 0 * * * in cron?
Midnight — 00:00. Both the minute and hour are pinned to 0, and the remaining wildcards make it fire every day.
Which time zone does midnight use?
Cron evaluates schedules in the server's configured time zone. If your server runs UTC, midnight means 00:00 UTC, which may not match your local midnight.
How do I run daily at a different time?
Change the hour and minute fields. For example 30 2 * * * runs every day at 02:30. Keep the day, month, and weekday as wildcards for a daily schedule.