Troubleshooting
If requests fail, run zero doctor check-connector --env-name CRONLYTIC_API_KEY or zero doctor check-connector --url https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/ping --method GET
How to Use
1. Health Check (Ping)
Check if API is available (no auth required):
curl -s -X GET "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/ping"Response: {"message": "pong"}
2. Create a Cron Job
Create a scheduled job to call a webhook.
Write to /tmp/cronlytic_request.json:
{
"name": "daily-backup",
"url": "https://api.example.com/backup",
"method": "POST",
"headers": {"Authorization": "Bearer token123"},
"body": "{\"type\": \"full\"}",
"cron_expression": "0 2 * * *"
}Then run:
curl -s -X POST "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/jobs" -H "X-API-Key: $CRONLYTIC_API_KEY" -H "X-User-ID: $CRONLYTIC_USER_ID" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/cronlytic_request.json | jq '{job_id, name, status, next_run_at}'3. Create GET Request Job
Simple health check every 5 minutes.
Write to /tmp/cronlytic_request.json:
{
"name": "health-check",
"url": "https://api.example.com/health",
"method": "GET",
"headers": {},
"body": "",
"cron_expression": "*/5 * * * *"
}Then run:
curl -s -X POST "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/jobs" -H "X-API-Key: $CRONLYTIC_API_KEY" -H "X-User-ID: $CRONLYTIC_USER_ID" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/cronlytic_request.json | jq '{name, status}'4. List All Jobs
Get all your scheduled jobs:
curl -s -X GET "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/jobs" -H "X-API-Key: $CRONLYTIC_API_KEY" -H "X-User-ID: $CRONLYTIC_USER_ID" | jq '.[] | {job_id, name, status, cron_expression, next_run_at}'5. Update a Job
Update an existing job (all fields required). Replace <your-job-id> with the actual job ID:
Write to /tmp/cronlytic_request.json:
{
"name": "daily-backup-v2",
"url": "https://api.example.com/backup/v2",
"method": "POST",
"headers": {"Authorization": "Bearer newtoken"},
"body": "{\"type\": \"incremental\"}",
"cron_expression": "0 3 * * *"
}Then run:
curl -s -X PUT "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/jobs/<your-job-id>" -H "X-API-Key: $CRONLYTIC_API_KEY" -H "X-User-ID: $CRONLYTIC_USER_ID" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/cronlytic_request.json | jq '{job_id, name, status, next_run_at}'6. Pause a Job
Stop a job from executing. Replace <your-job-id> with the actual job ID:
curl -s -X POST "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/jobs/<your-job-id>/pause" -H "X-API-Key: $CRONLYTIC_API_KEY" -H "X-User-ID: $CRONLYTIC_USER_ID"7. Resume a Job
Resume a paused job. Replace <your-job-id> with the actual job ID:
curl -s -X POST "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/jobs/<your-job-id>/resume" -H "X-API-Key: $CRONLYTIC_API_KEY" -H "X-User-ID: $CRONLYTIC_USER_ID"8. Get Job Logs
View execution history (last 50 entries). Replace <your-job-id> with the actual job ID:
curl -s -X GET "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/jobs/<your-job-id>/logs" -H "X-API-Key: $CRONLYTIC_API_KEY" -H "X-User-ID: $CRONLYTIC_USER_ID" | jq '.logs[] | {timestamp, status, response_code, response_time}'9. Delete a Job
Permanently delete a job and its logs. Replace <your-job-id> with the actual job ID:
curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.cronlytic.com/prog/jobs/<your-job-id>" -H "X-API-Key: $CRONLYTIC_API_KEY" -H "X-User-ID: $CRONLYTIC_USER_ID"Cron Expression Format
Standard 5-field cron: minute hour day month day-of-week
┌───────────── minute (0-59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0-23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1-31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1-12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0-6, Sun=0)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *Common Examples
| Expression | Description |
|---|---|
*/5 * * * * | Every 5 minutes |
0 * * * * | Every hour at minute 0 |
0 9 * * * | Daily at 9:00 AM |
0 9 * * 1-5 | Weekdays at 9:00 AM |
0 0 1 * * | First day of month at midnight |
30 14 * * 0 | Sunday at 2:30 PM |
0 */6 * * * | Every 6 hours |
Job Status Values
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
pending | Scheduled, waiting for next_run_at |
paused | Paused, won't execute |
success | Last execution succeeded |
failed | Last execution failed |
quota_reached | Skipped due to plan quota |
Create Job Parameters
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name | string | Yes | Job name (1-50 chars, alphanumeric/-/_) |
url | string | Yes | Target URL (HTTP/HTTPS) |
method | string | Yes | HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) |
headers | object | Yes | Request headers (can be {}) |
body | string | Yes | Request body (can be "") |
cron_expression | string | Yes | 5-field cron expression |
Job Name Rules
- Only letters, numbers, hyphens (
-), underscores (_) - Length: 1-50 characters
- Regex:
^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$
Valid: my-job, test_job_1, API-Health-Check Invalid: my job (space), test@job (@), api.health (.)
Response Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
job_id | Unique job identifier |
name | Job name |
url | Target URL |
method | HTTP method |
status | Current job status |
cron_expression | Schedule expression |
next_run_at | Next scheduled execution (ISO timestamp) |
created_at | Creation timestamp |
Guidelines
- Ping first: Call
/pingto warm up the API (Lambda cold start) - All fields required: When creating/updating, provide all fields
- Valid cron only: Use standard 5-field cron format
- Job names: Use alphanumeric with hyphens/underscores only
- Check logs: Use the logs endpoint to debug failed jobs
- Dashboard: Use https://www.cronlytic.com/dashboard for visual management
- Plan limits: Free tier has job limits - upgrade if needed