Cloudflare Cron Triggers

Status: Production Ready ✅ Last Updated: 2025-10-23 Dependencies: cloudflare-worker-base (for Worker setup) Latest Versions: [email protected], @cloudflare/[email protected]

Quick Start (5 Minutes)

1. Add Scheduled Handler to Your Worker

src/index.ts:

export default {
  async scheduled(
    controller: ScheduledController,
    env: Env,
    ctx: ExecutionContext
  ): Promise<void> {
    console.log('Cron job executed at:', new Date(controller.scheduledTime));
    console.log('Triggered by cron:', controller.cron);

    // Your scheduled task logic here
    await doPeriodicTask(env);
  },
};

Why this matters:

• Handler must be named exactly scheduled (not scheduledHandler or onScheduled)
• Must be exported in default export object
• Must use ES modules format (not Service Worker format)

2. Configure Cron Trigger in Wrangler

wrangler.jsonc:

{
  "name": "my-scheduled-worker",
  "main": "src/index.ts",
  "compatibility_date": "2025-10-23",
  "triggers": {
    "crons": [
      "0 * * * *"  // Every hour at minute 0
    ]
  }
}

CRITICAL:

• Cron expressions use 5 fields: minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week
• All times are UTC only (no timezone conversion)
• Changes take up to 15 minutes to propagate globally

3. Test Locally

# Enable scheduled testing
npx wrangler dev --test-scheduled

# In another terminal, trigger the scheduled handler
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled?cron=0+*+*+*+*"

# View output in wrangler dev terminal

Testing tips:

• /__scheduled endpoint is only available with --test-scheduled flag
• Can pass any cron expression in query parameter
• Python Workers use /cdn-cgi/handler/scheduled instead

4. Deploy

npm run deploy
# or
npx wrangler deploy

After deployment:

• Changes may take up to 15 minutes to propagate
• Check dashboard: Workers & Pages > [Your Worker] > Cron Triggers
• View past executions in Logs tab

Cron Expression Syntax

Five-Field Format

* * * * *
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └─── Day of Week (0-6, Sunday=0)
│ │ │ └───── Month (1-12)
│ │ └─────── Day of Month (1-31)
│ └───────── Hour (0-23)
└─────────── Minute (0-59)

Special Characters

Common Patterns

# Every minute
* * * * *

# Every 5 minutes
*/5 * * * *

# Every 15 minutes
*/15 * * * *

# Every hour at minute 0
0 * * * *

# Every hour at minute 30
30 * * * *

# Every 6 hours
0 */6 * * *

# Every day at midnight (00:00 UTC)
0 0 * * *

# Every day at noon (12:00 UTC)
0 12 * * *

# Every day at 3:30am UTC
30 3 * * *

# Every Monday at 9am UTC
0 9 * * 1

# Every weekday at 9am UTC
0 9 * * 1-5

# Every Sunday at midnight UTC
0 0 * * 0

# First day of every month at midnight UTC
0 0 1 * *

# Twice a day (6am and 6pm UTC)
0 6,18 * * *

# Every 30 minutes during business hours (9am-5pm UTC, weekdays)
*/30 9-17 * * 1-5

CRITICAL: UTC Timezone Only

• All cron triggers execute on UTC time
• No timezone conversion available
• Convert your local time to UTC manually
• Example: 9am PST = 5pm UTC (next day during DST)

ScheduledController Interface

interface ScheduledController {
  readonly cron: string;           // The cron expression that triggered this execution
  readonly type: string;           // Always "scheduled"
  readonly scheduledTime: number;  // Unix timestamp (ms) when scheduled
}

Properties

#### controller.cron (string)

The cron expression that triggered this execution.

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env): Promise<void> {
    console.log(`Triggered by: ${controller.cron}`);
    // Output: "Triggered by: 0 * * * *"
  },
};

Use case: Differentiate between multiple cron schedules (see Multiple Cron Triggers pattern).

#### controller.type (string)

Always returns "scheduled" for cron-triggered executions.

if (controller.type === 'scheduled') {
  // This is a cron-triggered execution
}

#### controller.scheduledTime (number)

Unix timestamp (milliseconds since epoch) when this execution was scheduled to run.

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController): Promise<void> {
    const scheduledDate = new Date(controller.scheduledTime);
    console.log(`Scheduled for: ${scheduledDate.toISOString()}`);
    // Output: "Scheduled for: 2025-10-23T15:00:00.000Z"
  },
};

Note: This is the scheduled time, not the actual execution time. Due to system load, actual execution may be slightly delayed (usually <1 second).

Execution Context

export default {
  async scheduled(
    controller: ScheduledController,
    env: Env,
    ctx: ExecutionContext  // ← Execution context
  ): Promise<void> {
    // Use ctx.waitUntil() for async operations that should complete
    ctx.waitUntil(logToAnalytics(env));
  },
};

ctx.waitUntil(promise: Promise<any>)

Extends the execution context to wait for async operations to complete after the handler returns.

Use cases:

• Logging to external services
• Analytics tracking
• Cleanup operations
• Non-critical background tasks

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env, ctx: ExecutionContext): Promise<void> {
    // Critical task - must complete before handler exits
    await processData(env);

    // Non-critical tasks - can complete in background
    ctx.waitUntil(sendMetrics(env));
    ctx.waitUntil(cleanupOldData(env));
    ctx.waitUntil(notifySlack({ message: 'Cron completed' }));
  },
};

Important: First waitUntil() that fails will be reported as the status in dashboard logs.

Integration Patterns

1. Standalone Scheduled Worker

Best for: Workers that only run on schedule (no HTTP requests)

// src/index.ts
interface Env {
  DB: D1Database;
  MY_BUCKET: R2Bucket;
}

export default {
  async scheduled(
    controller: ScheduledController,
    env: Env,
    ctx: ExecutionContext
  ): Promise<void> {
    console.log('Running scheduled maintenance...');

    // Database cleanup
    await env.DB.prepare('DELETE FROM sessions WHERE expires_at < ?')
      .bind(Date.now())
      .run();

    // Generate daily report
    const report = await generateDailyReport(env.DB);

    // Upload to R2
    await env.MY_BUCKET.put(
      `reports/${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}.json`,
      JSON.stringify(report)
    );

    console.log('Maintenance complete');
  },
};

2. Combined with Hono (Fetch + Scheduled)

Best for: Workers that handle both HTTP requests and scheduled tasks

// src/index.ts
import { Hono } from 'hono';

interface Env {
  DB: D1Database;
}

const app = new Hono<{ Bindings: Env }>();

// Regular HTTP routes
app.get('/', (c) => c.text('Worker is running'));

app.get('/api/stats', async (c) => {
  const stats = await c.env.DB.prepare('SELECT COUNT(*) as count FROM users').first();
  return c.json(stats);
});

// Export both fetch handler and scheduled handler
export default {
  // Handle HTTP requests
  fetch: app.fetch,

  // Handle cron triggers
  async scheduled(
    controller: ScheduledController,
    env: Env,
    ctx: ExecutionContext
  ): Promise<void> {
    console.log('Cron triggered:', controller.cron);

    // Run scheduled task
    await updateCache(env.DB);

    // Log completion
    ctx.waitUntil(logExecution(controller.scheduledTime));
  },
};

Why this pattern:

• One Worker handles both use cases
• Share environment bindings
• Reduce number of Workers to manage
• Lower costs (one Worker subscription)

3. Multiple Cron Triggers

Best for: Different schedules for different tasks

wrangler.jsonc:

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": [
      "*/5 * * * *",    // Every 5 minutes
      "0 */6 * * *",    // Every 6 hours
      "0 0 * * *"       // Daily at midnight UTC
    ]
  }
}

src/index.ts:

export default {
  async scheduled(
    controller: ScheduledController,
    env: Env,
    ctx: ExecutionContext
  ): Promise<void> {
    // Route based on which cron triggered this execution
    switch (controller.cron) {
      case '*/5 * * * *':
        // Every 5 minutes: Check system health
        await checkSystemHealth(env);
        break;

      case '0 */6 * * *':
        // Every 6 hours: Sync data from external API
        await syncExternalData(env);
        break;

      case '0 0 * * *':
        // Daily at midnight: Generate reports and cleanup
        await generateDailyReports(env);
        await cleanupOldData(env);
        break;

      default:
        console.warn(`Unknown cron trigger: ${controller.cron}`);
    }
  },
};

CRITICAL:

• Use exact cron expression match (whitespace sensitive)
• Maximum 3 cron triggers per Worker (Free plan)
• Standard/Paid plan supports more (check limits)

4. Accessing Environment Bindings

All Worker bindings available in scheduled handler:

interface Env {
  // Databases
  DB: D1Database;

  // Storage
  MY_BUCKET: R2Bucket;
  KV_NAMESPACE: KVNamespace;

  // AI & Vectors
  AI: Ai;
  VECTOR_INDEX: VectorizeIndex;

  // Queues & Workflows
  MY_QUEUE: Queue;
  MY_WORKFLOW: Workflow;

  // Durable Objects
  RATE_LIMITER: DurableObjectNamespace;

  // Secrets
  API_KEY: string;
}

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env): Promise<void> {
    // D1 Database
    const users = await env.DB.prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = 1').all();

    // R2 Storage
    const file = await env.MY_BUCKET.get('data.json');

    // KV Storage
    const config = await env.KV_NAMESPACE.get('config', 'json');

    // Workers AI
    const response = await env.AI.run('@cf/meta/llama-3-8b-instruct', {
      prompt: 'Summarize today\'s data',
    });

    // Send to Queue
    await env.MY_QUEUE.send({ type: 'process', data: users.results });

    // Trigger Workflow
    await env.MY_WORKFLOW.create({ input: { timestamp: Date.now() } });

    // Use secrets
    await fetch('https://api.example.com/webhook', {
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${env.API_KEY}` },
    });
  },
};

5. Combining with Workflows

Best for: Multi-step, long-running tasks triggered on schedule

wrangler.jsonc:

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["0 2 * * *"]  // Daily at 2am UTC
  },
  "workflows": [
    {
      "name": "daily-report-workflow",
      "binding": "DAILY_REPORT"
    }
  ]
}

src/index.ts:

interface Env {
  DAILY_REPORT: Workflow;
}

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env): Promise<void> {
    console.log('Triggering daily report workflow...');

    // Trigger workflow with initial state
    const instance = await env.DAILY_REPORT.create({
      params: {
        date: new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0],
        reportType: 'daily-summary',
      },
    });

    console.log(`Workflow started: ${instance.id}`);
  },
};

Why use Workflows:

• Workflows can run for hours (cron handlers have CPU limits)
• Built-in retry and error handling
• State persistence across steps
• Better for complex, multi-step processes

Reference: Cloudflare Workflows Docs

6. Error Handling in Scheduled Handlers

export default {
  async scheduled(
    controller: ScheduledController,
    env: Env,
    ctx: ExecutionContext
  ): Promise<void> {
    try {
      // Main task
      await performScheduledTask(env);
    } catch (error) {
      // Log error
      console.error('Scheduled task failed:', error);

      // Send alert
      await sendAlert({
        worker: 'my-scheduled-worker',
        cron: controller.cron,
        error: error.message,
        timestamp: new Date(controller.scheduledTime).toISOString(),
      });

      // Store failure in database
      ctx.waitUntil(
        env.DB.prepare(
          'INSERT INTO cron_failures (cron, error, timestamp) VALUES (?, ?, ?)'
        )
          .bind(controller.cron, error.message, Date.now())
          .run()
      );

      // Re-throw to mark execution as failed
      throw error;
    }
  },
};

async function sendAlert(details: any): Promise<void> {
  await fetch('https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/WEBHOOK/URL', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      text: `🚨 Cron job failed: ${details.worker}`,
      blocks: [
        {
          type: 'section',
          fields: [
            { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Worker:*\n${details.worker}` },
            { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Cron:*\n${details.cron}` },
            { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Error:*\n${details.error}` },
            { type: 'mrkdwn', text: `*Time:*\n${details.timestamp}` },
          ],
        },
      ],
    }),
  });
}

Wrangler Configuration

Basic Configuration

{
  "name": "my-scheduled-worker",
  "main": "src/index.ts",
  "compatibility_date": "2025-10-23",
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["0 * * * *"]
  }
}

Multiple Cron Triggers

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": [
      "*/5 * * * *",     // Every 5 minutes
      "0 */6 * * *",     // Every 6 hours
      "0 2 * * *",       // Daily at 2am UTC
      "0 0 * * 1"        // Weekly on Monday at midnight UTC
    ]
  }
}

Limits:

• Free: 3 cron schedules max
• Paid: Higher limits (check current limits)

Environment-Specific Crons

{
  "name": "my-worker",
  "main": "src/index.ts",
  "env": {
    "dev": {
      "triggers": {
        "crons": ["*/5 * * * *"]  // Dev: every 5 minutes for testing
      }
    },
    "staging": {
      "triggers": {
        "crons": ["*/30 * * * *"]  // Staging: every 30 minutes
      }
    },
    "production": {
      "triggers": {
        "crons": ["0 * * * *"]  // Production: hourly
      }
    }
  }
}

Deploy specific environment:

# Deploy to dev
npx wrangler deploy --env dev

# Deploy to production
npx wrangler deploy --env production

Removing All Cron Triggers

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": []  // Empty array removes all crons
  }
}

After deploy, Worker will no longer execute on schedule.

Testing & Development

Local Testing with Wrangler

# Start dev server with scheduled testing enabled
npx wrangler dev --test-scheduled

This exposes /__scheduled endpoint for triggering scheduled handlers.

Trigger Scheduled Handler

# Trigger with default cron (if only one configured)
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled"

# Trigger with specific cron expression
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled?cron=0+*+*+*+*"

# Trigger with URL-encoded cron
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled?cron=*/5+*+*+*+*"

Note: Use + instead of spaces in URL, or URL-encode properly.

Verify Handler Output

# Start dev server
npx wrangler dev --test-scheduled

# In another terminal, trigger and watch output
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled?cron=0+*+*+*+*"

Output appears in wrangler dev terminal:

[wrangler:inf] GET /__scheduled?cron=0+*+*+*+* 200 OK (45ms)
Cron job executed at: 2025-10-23T15:00:00.000Z
Triggered by cron: 0 * * * *
Scheduled task completed successfully

Test Multiple Cron Expressions

# Test hourly cron
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled?cron=0+*+*+*+*"

# Test daily cron
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled?cron=0+0+*+*+*"

# Test weekly cron
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled?cron=0+0+*+*+1"

Python Workers Testing

# Python Workers use different endpoint
curl "http://localhost:8787/cdn-cgi/handler/scheduled?cron=*+*+*+*+*"

Green Compute

Run cron triggers only in data centers powered by renewable energy.

Enable Green Compute

Via Dashboard:

1. Go to Workers & Pages
2. In Account details section, find Compute Setting
3. Click Change
4. Select Green Compute
5. Click Confirm

Applies to:

• All cron triggers in your account
• Reduces carbon footprint
• No additional cost
• May introduce slight delays in some regions

How it works:

• Cloudflare routes cron executions to green-powered data centers
• Uses renewable energy: wind, solar, hydroelectric
• Verified through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)

Known Issues Prevention

This skill prevents 6 documented issues:

Issue #1: Cron Changes Not Propagating

Error: Cron triggers updated in wrangler.jsonc but not executing

Source: Cloudflare Docs - Cron Triggers

Why It Happens:

• Changes to cron triggers take up to 15 minutes to propagate globally
• Cloudflare network needs time to update edge nodes
• No instant propagation like regular deploys

Prevention:

• Wait 15 minutes after deploy before expecting execution
• Check dashboard: Workers & Pages > [Worker] > Cron Triggers
• Use wrangler triggers deploy for trigger-only changes

# If you only changed triggers (not code), use:
npx wrangler triggers deploy

# Wait 15 minutes, then verify in dashboard

Issue #2: Handler Does Not Export

Error: Handler does not export a 'scheduled' method

Source: Common deployment error

Why It Happens:

• Handler not named exactly scheduled
• Handler not exported in default export object
• Using Service Worker format instead of ES modules

Prevention:

// ❌ Wrong: Incorrect handler name
export default {
  async scheduledHandler(controller, env, ctx) { }
};

// ❌ Wrong: Not in default export
export async function scheduled(controller, env, ctx) { }

// ✅ Correct: Named 'scheduled' in default export
export default {
  async scheduled(controller, env, ctx) { }
};

Issue #3: UTC Timezone Confusion

Error: Cron runs at wrong time

Source: User expectation vs. reality

Why It Happens:

• All cron triggers run on UTC time only
• No timezone conversion available
• Users expect local timezone

Prevention:

Convert your local time to UTC manually:

// Want to run at 9am PST (UTC-8)?
// 9am PST = 5pm UTC (17:00)
{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["0 17 * * *"]  // 9am PST = 5pm UTC
  }
}

// Want to run at 6pm EST (UTC-5)?
// 6pm EST = 11pm UTC (23:00)
{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["0 23 * * *"]  // 6pm EST = 11pm UTC
  }
}

// Remember: DST changes affect conversion!
// PST is UTC-8, PDT is UTC-7

Tools:

• Time Zone Converter
• Cron Expression Generator

Issue #4: Invalid Cron Expression

Error: Cron doesn't execute, no error shown

Source: Silent validation failure

Why It Happens:

• Invalid cron syntax silently fails
• Validation happens at deploy, but may not be obvious
• Common mistakes: wrong field order, invalid ranges

Prevention:

# ❌ Wrong: Too many fields (6 fields instead of 5)
"crons": ["0 0 * * * *"]  # Has seconds field - not supported

# ❌ Wrong: Invalid minute range
"crons": ["65 * * * *"]  # Minute must be 0-59

# ❌ Wrong: Invalid day of week
"crons": ["0 0 * * 7"]  # Day of week is 0-6 (use 0 for Sunday)

# ✅ Correct: 5 fields, valid ranges
"crons": ["0 0 * * 0"]  # Sunday at midnight UTC

Validation:

• Use Crontab Guru to validate expressions
• Check wrangler deploy output for errors
• Test locally with --test-scheduled

Issue #5: Missing ES Modules Format

Error: Worker must use ES modules format

Source: Legacy Service Worker format

Why It Happens:

• Scheduled handler requires ES modules format
• Old Service Worker format not supported
• Mixed format in codebase

Prevention:

// ❌ Wrong: Service Worker format
addEventListener('scheduled', (event) => {
  event.waitUntil(handleScheduled(event));
});

// ✅ Correct: ES modules format
export default {
  async scheduled(controller, env, ctx) {
    await handleScheduled(controller, env, ctx);
  },
};

Issue #6: CPU Time Limits Exceeded

Error: CPU time limit exceeded

Source: Long-running scheduled tasks

Why It Happens:

• Default CPU limit: 30 seconds
• Long-running tasks exceed limit
• No automatic timeout extension

Prevention:

Option 1: Increase CPU limit in wrangler.jsonc

{
  "limits": {
    "cpu_ms": 300000  // 5 minutes (max for Standard plan)
  }
}

Option 2: Use Workflows for long-running tasks

// Instead of long task in cron:
export default {
  async scheduled(controller, env, ctx) {
    // Trigger Workflow that can run for hours
    await env.MY_WORKFLOW.create({
      params: { task: 'long-running-job' },
    });
  },
};

Option 3: Break into smaller chunks

export default {
  async scheduled(controller, env, ctx) {
    // Process in batches
    const batch = await getNextBatch(env.DB);

    for (const item of batch) {
      await processItem(item);
    }

    // If more work, send to Queue for next batch
    const hasMore = await hasMoreWork(env.DB);
    if (hasMore) {
      await env.MY_QUEUE.send({ type: 'continue-processing' });
    }
  },
};

Always Do ✅

1. Use exact handler name - Must be scheduled, not scheduledHandler or variants
2. Use ES modules format - Export in default object, not addEventListener
3. Convert to UTC - All cron times are UTC, convert from local timezone
4. Wait 15 minutes - Cron changes take up to 15 min to propagate
5. Test locally first - Use wrangler dev --test-scheduled
6. Validate cron syntax - Use Crontab Guru
7. Handle errors gracefully - Log, alert, and optionally re-throw
8. Use ctx.waitUntil() - For non-critical async operations
9. Consider Workflows - For tasks that need >30 seconds CPU time
10. Monitor executions - Check dashboard logs regularly

Never Do ❌

1. Never assume local timezone - All crons run on UTC
2. Never use 6-field cron expressions - Cloudflare uses 5-field format (no seconds)
3. Never rely on instant propagation - Changes take up to 15 minutes
4. Never use Service Worker format - Must use ES modules format
5. Never forget error handling - Uncaught errors fail silently
6. Never run CPU-intensive tasks without limit increase - Default 30s limit
7. Never use day-of-week 7 - Use 0 for Sunday (0-6 range only)
8. Never deploy without testing - Always test with --test-scheduled first
9. Never ignore execution logs - Dashboard shows past failures
10. Never hardcode schedules for testing - Use environment-specific configs

Common Use Cases

1. Database Cleanup

Every day at 2am UTC: Delete old records

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env): Promise<void> {
    // Delete sessions older than 30 days
    const thirtyDaysAgo = Date.now() - (30 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);

    await env.DB.prepare('DELETE FROM sessions WHERE created_at < ?')
      .bind(thirtyDaysAgo)
      .run();

    // Delete soft-deleted users older than 90 days
    const ninetyDaysAgo = Date.now() - (90 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);

    await env.DB.prepare('DELETE FROM users WHERE deleted_at < ?')
      .bind(ninetyDaysAgo)
      .run();

    console.log('Database cleanup completed');
  },
};

wrangler.jsonc:

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["0 2 * * *"]  // Daily at 2am UTC
  }
}

2. API Data Collection

Every 15 minutes: Fetch data from external API

interface Env {
  DB: D1Database;
  API_KEY: string;
}

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env): Promise<void> {
    try {
      // Fetch from external API
      const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/v1/data', {
        headers: {
          Authorization: `Bearer ${env.API_KEY}`,
        },
      });

      const data = await response.json();

      // Store in D1
      for (const item of data.items) {
        await env.DB.prepare(
          'INSERT INTO collected_data (id, value, timestamp) VALUES (?, ?, ?)'
        )
          .bind(item.id, item.value, Date.now())
          .run();
      }

      console.log(`Collected ${data.items.length} items`);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Failed to collect data:', error);
      throw error;  // Mark execution as failed
    }
  },
};

wrangler.jsonc:

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["*/15 * * * *"]  // Every 15 minutes
  }
}

3. Daily Reports Generation

Every day at 8am UTC: Generate and email report

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env, ctx: ExecutionContext): Promise<void> {
    // Generate report from database
    const report = await generateDailyReport(env.DB);

    // Store in R2
    const fileName = `reports/${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}.json`;
    await env.MY_BUCKET.put(fileName, JSON.stringify(report));

    // Send via email
    ctx.waitUntil(sendReportEmail(report, env.RESEND_API_KEY));

    console.log('Daily report generated and sent');
  },
};

async function generateDailyReport(db: D1Database) {
  const yesterday = new Date();
  yesterday.setDate(yesterday.getDate() - 1);
  const startOfDay = yesterday.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0);
  const endOfDay = yesterday.setHours(23, 59, 59, 999);

  const stats = await db
    .prepare(`
      SELECT
        COUNT(*) as total_users,
        COUNT(DISTINCT user_id) as active_users,
        SUM(revenue) as total_revenue
      FROM events
      WHERE timestamp BETWEEN ? AND ?
    `)
    .bind(startOfDay, endOfDay)
    .first();

  return {
    date: yesterday.toISOString().split('T')[0],
    stats,
  };
}

wrangler.jsonc:

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["0 8 * * *"]  // Daily at 8am UTC
  }
}

4. Cache Warming

Every hour: Pre-warm cache with popular content

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env): Promise<void> {
    // Get most popular pages from analytics
    const popularPages = await env.DB
      .prepare('SELECT url FROM pages ORDER BY views DESC LIMIT 100')
      .all();

    // Fetch each page to warm cache
    const requests = popularPages.results.map((page) =>
      fetch(`https://example.com${page.url}`, {
        cf: {
          cacheTtl: 3600,  // Cache for 1 hour
        },
      })
    );

    await Promise.all(requests);

    console.log(`Warmed cache for ${popularPages.results.length} pages`);
  },
};

wrangler.jsonc:

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["0 * * * *"]  // Every hour
  }
}

5. Monitoring & Health Checks

Every 5 minutes: Check system health

export default {
  async scheduled(controller: ScheduledController, env: Env): Promise<void> {
    const checks = await Promise.allSettled([
      checkDatabaseHealth(env.DB),
      checkAPIHealth(),
      checkStorageHealth(env.MY_BUCKET),
    ]);

    const failures = checks.filter((check) => check.status === 'rejected');

    if (failures.length > 0) {
      // Send alert
      await sendAlert({
        service: 'health-check',
        failures: failures.map((f) => f.reason),
        timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      });
    }
  },
};

async function checkDatabaseHealth(db: D1Database): Promise<void> {
  const result = await db.prepare('SELECT 1 as health').first();
  if (!result || result.health !== 1) {
    throw new Error('Database health check failed');
  }
}

async function checkAPIHealth(): Promise<void> {
  const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/health');
  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error(`API health check failed: ${response.status}`);
  }
}

async function checkStorageHealth(bucket: R2Bucket): Promise<void> {
  const testObject = await bucket.get('health-check.txt');
  if (!testObject) {
    throw new Error('Storage health check failed');
  }
}

wrangler.jsonc:

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["*/5 * * * *"]  // Every 5 minutes
  }
}

TypeScript Types

// Scheduled event controller
interface ScheduledController {
  readonly cron: string;
  readonly type: string;
  readonly scheduledTime: number;
}

// Execution context
interface ExecutionContext {
  waitUntil(promise: Promise<any>): void;
  passThroughOnException(): void;
}

// Scheduled handler
export default {
  async scheduled(
    controller: ScheduledController,
    env: Env,
    ctx: ExecutionContext
  ): Promise<void>;
}

Limits & Pricing

Limits

Pricing

Cron triggers use Standard Workers pricing:

• Workers Paid Plan: $5/month required
• Requests: $0.30 per million requests (after 10M free)
• CPU Time: $0.02 per million CPU-ms (after 30M free)

Cron execution = 1 request

Example:

• Cron runs every hour (24 times/day)
• 30 days × 24 executions = 720 executions/month
• Average 50ms CPU time per execution

Cost:

• Requests: 720 (well under 10M free)
• CPU time: 720 × 50ms = 36,000ms (under 30M free)
• Total: $5/month (just subscription)

High frequency example:

• Cron runs every minute (1440 times/day)
• 30 days × 1440 = 43,200 executions/month
• Still under free tier limits
• Total: $5/month

Troubleshooting

Issue: Cron not executing

Possible causes:

1. Changes not propagated yet (wait 15 minutes)
2. Invalid cron expression
3. Handler not exported correctly
4. Worker not deployed

Solution:

# Re-deploy
npx wrangler deploy

# Wait 15 minutes

# Check dashboard
# Workers & Pages > [Worker] > Cron Triggers

# Check logs
# Workers & Pages > [Worker] > Logs > Real-time Logs

Issue: Handler executes but fails

Possible causes:

1. Uncaught error in handler
2. CPU time limit exceeded
3. Missing environment bindings
4. Network timeout

Solution:

export default {
  async scheduled(controller, env, ctx) {
    try {
      await yourTask(env);
    } catch (error) {
      // Log detailed error
      console.error('Handler failed:', {
        error: error.message,
        stack: error.stack,
        cron: controller.cron,
        time: new Date(controller.scheduledTime),
      });

      // Send alert
      ctx.waitUntil(sendAlert(error));

      // Re-throw to mark as failed
      throw error;
    }
  },
};

Check logs in dashboard for error details.

Issue: Wrong execution time

Cause: UTC vs. local timezone confusion

Solution:

Convert your desired local time to UTC:

// Want 9am PST (UTC-8)?
// 9am PST = 5pm UTC (17:00)

{
  "triggers": {
    "crons": ["0 17 * * *"]
  }
}

Tools:

• World Clock Converter
• Remember DST changes (PST vs PDT)

Issue: Local testing not working

Possible causes:

1. Missing --test-scheduled flag
2. Wrong endpoint (should be /__scheduled)
3. Python Worker (use /cdn-cgi/handler/scheduled)

Solution:

# Correct: Start with flag
npx wrangler dev --test-scheduled

# In another terminal
curl "http://localhost:8787/__scheduled?cron=0+*+*+*+*"

Production Checklist

Before deploying cron triggers to production:

• [ ] Cron expression validated on Crontab Guru
• [ ] Handler named exactly scheduled in default export
• [ ] ES modules format used (not Service Worker)
• [ ] Local timezone converted to UTC
• [ ] Error handling implemented with logging
• [ ] Alerts configured for failures
• [ ] CPU limits increased if needed (limits.cpu_ms)
• [ ] Environment bindings tested
• [ ] Tested locally with --test-scheduled
• [ ] Deployment tested in staging environment
• [ ] Waited 15 minutes after deploy for propagation
• [ ] Verified execution in dashboard logs
• [ ] Monitoring and alerting configured
• [ ] Documentation updated with schedule details

Related Documentation

• Cloudflare Cron Triggers: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/configuration/cron-triggers/
• Scheduled Handler API: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/runtime-apis/handlers/scheduled/
• Cron Trigger Examples: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/examples/cron-trigger/
• Multiple Cron Triggers: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/examples/multiple-cron-triggers/
• Wrangler Triggers Command: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/wrangler/commands/#triggers
• Workers Pricing: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/
• Workflows Integration: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workflows/
• Crontab Guru (validator): https://crontab.guru/
• Time Zone Converter: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Last Updated: 2025-10-23 Version: 1.0.0 Maintainer: Jeremy Dawes | [email protected]