Knowledge Base

Cron Job Troubleshooting

If your scheduled cron jobs aren't running, follow these troubleshooting steps.

Verify Cron Setup

In DirectAdmin:

1. Go to Cron Jobs
2. Verify your cron job exists
3. Check the timing settings (minute, hour, day, month, weekday)

Common Issues

1. Incorrect Path

Use full absolute paths:

# Wrong
php script.php
# Correct
/usr/local/bin/php /home/username/public_html/script.php

2. PHP Path

Find your PHP path:

• PHP 7.4: /usr/local/bin/php74
• PHP 8.0: /usr/local/bin/php80
• PHP 8.1: /usr/local/bin/php81
• Default: /usr/local/bin/php

3. Permissions

The script must be executable:

• File permissions: 755 or 644
• Check ownership is correct

4. Script Errors

Test your script manually first:

/usr/local/bin/php /home/username/public_html/cron.php

Check for any errors in output.

5. Output Capture

Redirect output to see what happens:

/usr/local/bin/php /home/username/public_html/cron.php >> /home/username/cron.log 2>&1

Check cron.log for output and errors.

WordPress Cron

WordPress has its own cron system that runs on page visits. For reliable execution:

Disable WP-Cron (wp-config.php):

define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);

Create Server Cron Job:

*/15 * * * * wget -q -O - https://yourdomain.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >/dev/null 2>&1

This runs WordPress cron every 15 minutes.

Testing Cron Jobs

1. Set cron to run every minute temporarily
2. Add logging to your script
3. Check if log file is created/updated
4. Reset to normal schedule once working