Pterodactyl Panel TutorialsAutomation & Cron
Automated Schedules & Cron Tasks
Automate routine maintenance, clear memory leaks with timed restarts, and create scheduled snapshots without touching your keyboard.
1. What Are Pterodactyl Schedules?
Schedules allow you to run server actions at specified intervals. A schedule consists of two parts: a Cron Schedule (when to run) and one or more sequential Tasks (what actions to execute, such as sending commands, restarting, or triggering a backup).
2. Cron Expression Cheat Sheet
| Schedule Description | Minute | Hour | Day of Month | Month | Day of Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily at 4:00 AM | 0 | 4 | * | * | * |
| Every 6 Hours | 0 | */6 | * | * | * |
| Every Monday at Midnight | 0 | 0 | * | * | 1 |
3. Recipe: Automated Daily Restart at 4:00 AM
- In
panel.oryncloud.com, click Schedules → Create Schedule. - Name: Daily 4AM Restart.
- Set Minute:
0and Hour:4(leave other fields as*). Click Create Schedule. - Click on the newly created schedule and click New Task.
- Task 1: Action: Send Command | Payload:
say Server restarting in 60 seconds for daily maintenance!| Time Offset:0s. - Task 2: Action: Send Power Action | Payload:
Restart the server| Time Offset:60s.
4. Recipe: Automated Daily Cloud Backups
Create a schedule named Daily Midnight Backup with Minute 0 and Hour 0. Add a single task:
Scheduled Backup Configuration
Action: Create Backup
Ignored Files: (Optional, e.g. logs/, dynmap/tiles/)
Time Offset: 0sBackup Limits
Ensure your server’s allocated backup slots are not full. If the limit is reached, Pterodactyl rotates and removes the oldest unlocked backup snapshot automatically.
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