CRON Notation Helper API

Development

Convert CRON expressions to human-readable format or generate CRON from natural language.

Authentication

All API requests require a valid API key passed in the Authorization header as a Bearer token.

Rate Limit

100 requests per minute

Endpoints

1 endpoint available

Overview

The CRON Notation Helper API provides two operations: converting cron expressions to human-readable format, and generating cron expressions from natural language descriptions.

Features

Convert cron expressions (5-7 parts) to plain English descriptions
Generate cron expressions from natural language using AI
Supports standard cron format, including optional year field
Handles ranges, steps, lists, and wildcards

Use Cases

Validate and understand existing cron schedules
Generate cron expressions for new scheduled tasks
Automate schedule documentation
Integrate scheduling into DevOps workflows

Endpoints

POST

/v1/tools/cron-notation-helper

Convert cron expressions or generate them from natural language

Request Body

Content-Type: application/json

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
operation	string	Required	Operation to perform: "parse" (cron to human-readable) or "generate" (natural language to cron)
cronExpression	string	Optional	Cron expression to parse (required for "parse" operation). Format: [Minute] [Hour] [Day of Month] [Month] [Day of Week] [Optional Year]
naturalLanguage	string	Optional	Natural language description (required for "generate" operation). E.g., "Run every day at 3 PM"

Response Example

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "humanReadable": "Run on Monday through Friday at 9 hour",
    "explanation": "The cron expression has been converted to a human-readable format.",
    "generatedCron": "0 9 * * 1-5"
  }
}

Error Codes

400

Bad Request - Invalid cron expression format or missing required parameters

401

Unauthorized - Invalid or missing API key

429

Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded

500

Internal Server Error

Code Examples

# Parse cron expression
curl -X POST https://api.opentools.ca/v1/tools/cron-notation-helper \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "operation": "parse",
    "cronExpression": "0 9 * * 1-5"
  }'

# Generate cron from natural language
curl -X POST https://api.opentools.ca/v1/tools/cron-notation-helper \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "operation": "generate",
    "naturalLanguage": "Run every weekday at 9 AM"
  }'

Ready to get started?

Create an API key to start using the CRON Notation Helper API.