All modern operating systems have some kind of scheduler that allows automated execution of tasks at regular, predetermined intervals. This functionality has existed since the 1970s and these periodic tasks are called cron jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Funny enough, the name itself is a spelling error; Brian Kernighan \u2014 one of the fathers of the UNIX operating system and the C programming language \u2014 who implemented the idea, wanted a term that infers a relationship with time, and chose the Greek word for time (chronos) but, as he admitted later, \u201cI never could spell\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Why WordPress needs to execute periodic tasks<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nLike essentially all other modern software, WordPress needs to execute certain housekeeping tasks from time to time to do its job and stay healthy. Examples of such tasks are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- scheduled checks for updates to the WordPress core, themes, plugins, and translations;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- the sending of transactional emails (for example, to notify the administrator if a comment under a blog post has been flagged for moderation);<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- updates to database tables, renewal of expired cached pages, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
WordPress is designed to be as independent of its server environment as possible. Especially in the beginning (WordPress came out in 2003 \u2014 nearly 2 decades ago!) there weren\u2019t very many technically capable users. Many web hosting services did not offer their users the ability to schedule cron jobs for fear they would break things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why the WordPress developers had to come up with a way to go around that limitation. Their solution was to make WordPress trigger an internal task scheduler on every customer visit. This task scheduler would look at the current time, check if one or more cron jobs were due for execution, and start the cron process if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Unwanted delays<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere are two problems with this solution. The first one is when the website receives too little traffic; it means that whenever a visitor comes after several hours of inactivity, there might be a long queue of tasks that are due for execution. And even though the website usually loads fast, that unlucky user will get a degraded experience while the tasks are executed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second problem is when the website receives more traffic. The scheduler starts a check every time a new visitor comes, which could mean these checks pile up unnecessarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luckily, there is a fix for that situation, and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Replacing WP Cron with a real cron job<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis requires two steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Configure WordPress to stop using WP Cron<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Configure an external task that runs on a specific schedule<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How to deactivate WP Cron<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nTo do this, you need to open the wp-config.php<\/code> file in the root folder of your website, and scroll down until you find the following lines near the end of the file:<\/p>\n\n\n\ndefine( 'WP_DEBUG', false );\n\/* Add any custom values between this line and the \"stop editing\" line. *\/\n\n\/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. *\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nNote: the contents of your\u00a0wp-config.php<\/code>\u00a0might differ and there could be other lines there. This should not worry you; the sequence of defined directives is not important.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAdd this declaration between the two comment lines: define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe file should look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );\n\/* Add any custom values between this line and the \"stop editing\" line. *\/\ndefine('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);\n\/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. *\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSave the file and close it; this is enough. However, remember this change has an immediate effect, and as soon as you disable WP Cron, your website will lose the ability to manage itself. That is why you should complete the next step soon after this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How to create a real cron job<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFor WPX customers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If you are a customer of WPX, this one is a real piece of cake. You simply need to send a ticket to the friendly WPX support team from https:\/\/wpx.net\/tickets\/new\/<\/a> and ask them to set up a regular cron job for your WordPress site. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe WP-Cron task is activated by loading the following URL (where example.com should be replaced with your domain name):https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But of course, WPX support knows that. All you need to ask them is to set up a cron job to replace WP Cron, or even simply refer them to this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wait for WPX support to confirm that they are finished, then watch how your website behaves in the next 1-2 days or so; whether it still checks for updates regularly and so on. If something appears wrong, let support know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For other shared\/managed hosting services<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If you are not a WPX customer, you could ask the support team the same; the only difference is that they will most likely not respond so quickly. That is why you should postpone adding the DISABLE_WP_CRON line to the wp-config.php<\/code> file until you hear back from them (or even just ask them to add the line themselves after they are done with the cron job itself).<\/p>\n\n\n\nVia the hosting control panel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The control panel provided by your hosting (e.g. Cpanel, DirectAdmin) might offer access to the cron job list and allow you to add a new cron job. Have a look around and if you find it, configure it to execute the following command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
wget -q -O - https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >\/dev\/null 2>&1<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis is the Cpanel \u2018Add New Cron Job\u2019 screen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpx.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-123.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd here is what the DirectAdmin \u2018Create Cron Job\u2019 screen looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpx.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-124-1024x820.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Via PHP script<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn the rare and weird situation, your web host doesn\u2019t want to cooperate with the adding of a cron job, you could try adding one via PHP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do that, create a file called\u00a0cron.php<\/code>\u00a0in your web root folder and put the following code inside (again, I\u00a0strongly<\/strong>\u00a0remind you to replace \u2018example.com\u2019 with your real domain, including the www part if you are using it to open your website):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--?php\n<?php\n\/\/ Add cron job while avoiding duplication shell_exec(\"(crontab -l ; echo '*\/15 * * * * wget -q -O - https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >\/dev\/null 2>&1') | sort | uniq | crontab\") ;\n\n\/\/ Output cron jobs list\n$output = shell_exec('crontab -l') ; echo \"$output\" ; ?><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThere is a possibility that the web host which does not allow setting user cron jobs will also prohibit execution of shell commands via PHP but you have to try it to know for sure. And if it doesn\u2019t work, you should really think about changing hosts. Seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WordPress is designed to be as independent of its server environment as possible. Especially in the beginning (WordPress came out in 2003 \u2014 nearly 2 decades ago!) there weren\u2019t very many technically capable users. Many web hosting services did not offer their users the ability to schedule cron jobs for fear they would break things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why the WordPress developers had to come up with a way to go around that limitation. Their solution was to make WordPress trigger an internal task scheduler on every customer visit. This task scheduler would look at the current time, check if one or more cron jobs were due for execution, and start the cron process if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Unwanted delays<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere are two problems with this solution. The first one is when the website receives too little traffic; it means that whenever a visitor comes after several hours of inactivity, there might be a long queue of tasks that are due for execution. And even though the website usually loads fast, that unlucky user will get a degraded experience while the tasks are executed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second problem is when the website receives more traffic. The scheduler starts a check every time a new visitor comes, which could mean these checks pile up unnecessarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luckily, there is a fix for that situation, and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Replacing WP Cron with a real cron job<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis requires two steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Configure WordPress to stop using WP Cron<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Configure an external task that runs on a specific schedule<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How to deactivate WP Cron<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nTo do this, you need to open the wp-config.php<\/code> file in the root folder of your website, and scroll down until you find the following lines near the end of the file:<\/p>\n\n\n\ndefine( 'WP_DEBUG', false );\n\/* Add any custom values between this line and the \"stop editing\" line. *\/\n\n\/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. *\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nNote: the contents of your\u00a0wp-config.php<\/code>\u00a0might differ and there could be other lines there. This should not worry you; the sequence of defined directives is not important.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAdd this declaration between the two comment lines: define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe file should look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );\n\/* Add any custom values between this line and the \"stop editing\" line. *\/\ndefine('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);\n\/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. *\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSave the file and close it; this is enough. However, remember this change has an immediate effect, and as soon as you disable WP Cron, your website will lose the ability to manage itself. That is why you should complete the next step soon after this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How to create a real cron job<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFor WPX customers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If you are a customer of WPX, this one is a real piece of cake. You simply need to send a ticket to the friendly WPX support team from https:\/\/wpx.net\/tickets\/new\/<\/a> and ask them to set up a regular cron job for your WordPress site. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe WP-Cron task is activated by loading the following URL (where example.com should be replaced with your domain name):https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But of course, WPX support knows that. All you need to ask them is to set up a cron job to replace WP Cron, or even simply refer them to this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wait for WPX support to confirm that they are finished, then watch how your website behaves in the next 1-2 days or so; whether it still checks for updates regularly and so on. If something appears wrong, let support know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For other shared\/managed hosting services<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If you are not a WPX customer, you could ask the support team the same; the only difference is that they will most likely not respond so quickly. That is why you should postpone adding the DISABLE_WP_CRON line to the wp-config.php<\/code> file until you hear back from them (or even just ask them to add the line themselves after they are done with the cron job itself).<\/p>\n\n\n\nVia the hosting control panel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The control panel provided by your hosting (e.g. Cpanel, DirectAdmin) might offer access to the cron job list and allow you to add a new cron job. Have a look around and if you find it, configure it to execute the following command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
wget -q -O - https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >\/dev\/null 2>&1<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis is the Cpanel \u2018Add New Cron Job\u2019 screen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd here is what the DirectAdmin \u2018Create Cron Job\u2019 screen looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Via PHP script<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn the rare and weird situation, your web host doesn\u2019t want to cooperate with the adding of a cron job, you could try adding one via PHP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do that, create a file called\u00a0cron.php<\/code>\u00a0in your web root folder and put the following code inside (again, I\u00a0strongly<\/strong>\u00a0remind you to replace \u2018example.com\u2019 with your real domain, including the www part if you are using it to open your website):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--?php\n<?php\n\/\/ Add cron job while avoiding duplication shell_exec(\"(crontab -l ; echo '*\/15 * * * * wget -q -O - https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >\/dev\/null 2>&1') | sort | uniq | crontab\") ;\n\n\/\/ Output cron jobs list\n$output = shell_exec('crontab -l') ; echo \"$output\" ; ?><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThere is a possibility that the web host which does not allow setting user cron jobs will also prohibit execution of shell commands via PHP but you have to try it to know for sure. And if it doesn\u2019t work, you should really think about changing hosts. Seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This requires two steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Configure WordPress to stop using WP Cron<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Configure an external task that runs on a specific schedule<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How to deactivate WP Cron<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To do this, you need to open the
wp-config.php<\/code> file in the root folder of your website, and scroll down until you find the following lines near the end of the file:<\/p>\n\n\n\ndefine( 'WP_DEBUG', false );\n\/* Add any custom values between this line and the \"stop editing\" line. *\/\n\n\/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. *\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nNote: the contents of your\u00a0
wp-config.php<\/code>\u00a0might differ and there could be other lines there. This should not worry you; the sequence of defined directives is not important.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAdd this declaration between the two comment lines:
define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe file should look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );\n\/* Add any custom values between this line and the \"stop editing\" line. *\/\ndefine('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);\n\/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. *\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSave the file and close it; this is enough. However, remember this change has an immediate effect, and as soon as you disable WP Cron, your website will lose the ability to manage itself. That is why you should complete the next step soon after this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How to create a real cron job<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For WPX customers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If you are a customer of WPX, this one is a real piece of cake. You simply need to send a ticket to the friendly WPX support team from https:\/\/wpx.net\/tickets\/new\/<\/a> and ask them to set up a regular cron job for your WordPress site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The WP-Cron task is activated by loading the following URL (where example.com should be replaced with your domain name):https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But of course, WPX support knows that. All you need to ask them is to set up a cron job to replace WP Cron, or even simply refer them to this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wait for WPX support to confirm that they are finished, then watch how your website behaves in the next 1-2 days or so; whether it still checks for updates regularly and so on. If something appears wrong, let support know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For other shared\/managed hosting services<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If you are not a WPX customer, you could ask the support team the same; the only difference is that they will most likely not respond so quickly. That is why you should postpone adding the DISABLE_WP_CRON line to the
wp-config.php<\/code> file until you hear back from them (or even just ask them to add the line themselves after they are done with the cron job itself).<\/p>\n\n\n\nVia the hosting control panel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The control panel provided by your hosting (e.g. Cpanel, DirectAdmin) might offer access to the cron job list and allow you to add a new cron job. Have a look around and if you find it, configure it to execute the following command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
wget -q -O - https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >\/dev\/null 2>&1<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis is the Cpanel \u2018Add New Cron Job\u2019 screen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd here is what the DirectAdmin \u2018Create Cron Job\u2019 screen looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Via PHP script<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In the rare and weird situation, your web host doesn\u2019t want to cooperate with the adding of a cron job, you could try adding one via PHP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do that, create a file called\u00a0
cron.php<\/code>\u00a0in your web root folder and put the following code inside (again, I\u00a0strongly<\/strong>\u00a0remind you to replace \u2018example.com\u2019 with your real domain, including the www part if you are using it to open your website):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--?php\n<?php\n\/\/ Add cron job while avoiding duplication shell_exec(\"(crontab -l ; echo '*\/15 * * * * wget -q -O - https:\/\/example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >\/dev\/null 2>&1') | sort | uniq | crontab\") ;\n\n\/\/ Output cron jobs list\n$output = shell_exec('crontab -l') ; echo \"$output\" ; ?><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThere is a possibility that the web host which does not allow setting user cron jobs will also prohibit execution of shell commands via PHP but you have to try it to know for sure. And if it doesn\u2019t work, you should really think about changing hosts. Seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpx.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-125.png\")