Azure Functions (NCRONTAB)

6-field NCRONTAB format used by Azure Functions timer triggers — seconds first, day-of-week 0–6, full step syntax.

Overview

Azure Functions timer triggers are scheduled with NCRONTAB expressions: 6 fields in the order `second minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week`. The seconds field comes first, like Quartz and Spring, but day-of-week numbering is 0–6 with Sun=0 (like POSIX), not 1–7 like Quartz.

NCRONTAB supports the usual operators — steps (`*/n`), ranges, comma lists, and named months/days. Microsoft's canonical example is `0 */5 * * * *` ("once every five minutes"). Timer triggers evaluate in UTC by default; set the `WEBSITE_TIME_ZONE` app setting to schedule in another time zone.

Looking for Azure Logic Apps? Logic Apps Recurrence triggers do NOT use cron expressions at all — they're configured with JSON recurrence properties (`frequency`, `interval`, `schedule`). This page covers the NCRONTAB dialect used by Azure Functions timer triggers.

Field Structure

Field Order6 fields: second minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week

Day-of-Week0=Sunday, 1=Monday, …, 6=Saturday. No 7.

Special Characters

Token	Meaning
*	Any value.
,	List separator (e.g. `1,15,30`).
-	Range of values (e.g. `1-5`).
/	Step values (e.g. `*/5` = every 5 units).

Aliases

Not supported — no `@hourly`, `@daily`, etc.

Comparison vs. Unix Cron

Feature	Azure Functions (NCRONTAB)	Unix Cron
Field count	6 (seconds first)	5
Seconds field	Yes	No
Step syntax (`*/n`)	Yes	Limited
Named months/days	Yes (JAN-DEC, SUN-SAT)	No
Aliases (`@hourly` etc.)	No	No
DOW numbering	0=Sun … 6=Sat (like Unix)	0=Sun … 6=Sat
Timezone control	`WEBSITE_TIME_ZONE` app setting (UTC default)	Daemon-local or `CRON_TZ`

Examples

0 */5 * * * *Every 5 minutes — Microsoft's canonical timer-trigger example.Try it →

0 0 * * * *Top of every hour.Try it →

0 0 9 * * 1-509:00 on weekdays.Try it →

*/15 * * * * *Every 15 seconds.Try it →

30 0 12 * * 0Sundays at 12:00:30.Try it →

0 0 0 1 * *Midnight on the 1st of every month.Try it →

0 0,30 * * * *Every half hour (on the hour and at :30).Try it →

Gotchas & Pitfalls

⚠Azure Logic Apps does NOT accept cron expressions — its Recurrence trigger is configured with JSON recurrence properties (`frequency`, `interval`, `schedule`), not NCRONTAB. If you landed here for Logic Apps, use those properties instead.
⚠Day-of-week numbering is 0–6 with Sun=0, unlike Quartz (1-indexed). Porting Quartz expressions verbatim will shift schedules by a day.
⚠Timer triggers run in UTC unless you set the `WEBSITE_TIME_ZONE` app setting — a common surprise for teams operating in non-UTC regions.