Cron Three Times a Day

The cron expression 0 */8 * * * triggers every 8 hours — at midnight (00:00), 8:00 AM, and 4:00 PM. Since 24 divides evenly by 8, the intervals are perfectly uniform.

Three times daily is a common cadence for regular but not frequent tasks: data synchronization across timezones, tri-daily health reports, periodic cache rebuilds, and regular metrics aggregation. The 8-hour spacing provides good coverage across the day.

For three specific times instead of even spacing, use a list: 0 9,13,18 * * * runs at 9 AM, 1 PM, and 6 PM. If you want three times only on weekdays, add the day-of-week restriction: 0 */8 * * 1-5.