Custom PHP Cron Jobs

Custom PHP Cron Jobs

Scheduled tasks — publishing posts at midnight, sending weekly digests, cleaning up old data — only work reliably when something triggers them on time. This guide shows you how to run those tasks on a proper server schedule instead of relying on visitor traffic to kick them off.

Why FlyWP Disables wp-cron.php

WordPress ships with a built-in scheduler called wp-cron.php. The problem: it fires only when someone visits your site. On a low-traffic site, scheduled posts may go live hours late. On a busy site, every single visitor triggers an unnecessary cron check, wasting server resources.

FlyWP disables wp-cron.php by default and replaces it with a server-level cron job — a scheduled command the server runs on a fixed interval, completely independent of your site’s traffic. This gives you reliable, predictable task execution.

Tip

You only need to add a custom cron job if WordPress isn’t running its scheduled events on time, or if you have a PHP script outside of WordPress that needs to run automatically. Most sites work fine with FlyWP’s default setup.

Adding a Custom Cron Job

To add a cron job (a scheduled server command), head to your server’s Cron Jobs tab:

1. Navigate to your server’s detail page.
2. Click the Crons tab.
3. Click Add Cron.
4. Enter the command, schedule, and user.
5. Click Save.

Common Cron Commands

Here are the most useful commands to get you started. Replace domain.com with your actual site folder name.

Task	Command	Schedule
Run WordPress scheduled events	cd /home/fly/domain.com && wp cron event run --due-now	Every minute (* * * * *)
Run a custom PHP script	cd /home/fly/domain.com && php custom-script.php	As needed
Clear transients	cd /home/fly/domain.com && wp transient delete --expired	Daily (0 0 * * *)

Note

The commands above use wp — that refers to WP-CLI (a command-line tool for managing WordPress). Your site files live under /home/fly/ on FlyWP servers, so each command starts by changing into the correct site folder before running.

Cron for Sites on Subdomains

Each site on your server has its own folder under /home/fly/, including subdomain sites. When adding a cron job for a subdomain, make sure the command points to the right directory.

For example, for a subdomain site at shop.example.com:

cd /home/fly/shop.example.com && wp cron event run --due-now

Cron Schedule Syntax

Cron schedules use a five-field expression where each field represents a unit of time: minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. A * means “every” for that unit.

Schedule	Expression
Every minute	* * * * *
Every 5 minutes	*/5 * * * *
Hourly	0 * * * *
Daily at midnight	0 0 * * *

Tip

For most WordPress sites, running wp cron event run --due-now every minute is the recommended approach. This ensures scheduled tasks — like publishing posts or sending email digests — execute on time without delay.

Related Pages

• Cron Jobs
• WP-CLI
• Server Management
• Server Settings