What */6 * * * * does
The */6 in the minute field is a step value. It means 'starting at minute 0, then every 6 minutes'. The four remaining asterisks mean every hour, every day of the month, every month and every day of the week — so the job runs continuously, all year.
Within any given hour it fires at :00, :06, :12, :18, :24, :30 ..., giving 10 runs per hour and 240 per day.
The mistake people make
Dropping the */ changes the meaning completely. 6 * * * * runs once an hour, at minute 6 — not every 6 minutes. The slash is what turns a value into an interval.
Every 6 minutes gives exactly 10 runs per hour, which makes rate-limit maths easy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cron expression for every 6 minutes?
*/6 * * * *. The */6 step in the minute field fires the job every 6 minutes, starting at minute 0 of each hour.
How many times does */6 * * * * run per day?
240 times — 10 per hour, 24 hours a day.
Related cron expressions
Browse the full cron expression reference, or build your own expression from scratch.