Cron every minute: the expression, explained, in Next.js / Vercel

The cron expression for “every minute” is * * * * *. This page shows what each field does, the next five times it will fire, the mistake most people make with it, and a working Next.js / Vercel example you can paste.

The expression

* * * * *

Field	Value	Meaning
minute	*	every minute
hour	*	every hour
day of month	*	every day of month
month	*	every month
day of week	*	every day of week

Next five runs (UTC, from now)

2026-09-17 22:54 UTC
2026-09-17 22:55 UTC
2026-09-17 22:56 UTC
2026-09-17 22:57 UTC
2026-09-17 22:58 UTC

Mistakes people make with this schedule

Running a slow job every minute: if one run takes 90 seconds, two overlap. Use a lock, or a longer interval.
Assuming the server clock is your clock. Cron runs in the machine’s timezone unless the runtime says otherwise; the examples here are UTC.
No lock around a job that might overlap itself, and no alert when it silently stops. That second one is what Supercrontab is for.

Run it in your stack

Linux crontab Laravel WordPress Next.js / Vercel Node.js Python Docker GitHub Actions

// vercel.json
{
  "crons": [
    { "path": "/api/cron/run", "schedule": "* * * * *" }
  ]
}

Vercel crons run in UTC and, on the Hobby plan, at most once a day. For anything more frequent call the route from Supercrontab.

Questions

Does * * * * * run in my local time?

Only if the scheduler is configured for it. crontab uses the system timezone; Vercel and GitHub Actions always use UTC; Laravel and node-cron take a timezone option. In Supercrontab the timezone is a field on the job.

What if the previous run is still going?

Classic cron starts the next run anyway. Add a lock (flock on Linux, withoutOverlapping() in Laravel) or let Supercrontab skip the tick while the previous request is open.

Is there a shorter way to write this?

No. The five-field form is the shortest portable version.