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wtf is docker-cron?

marianovilla/docker-cron — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-08-11 · repo last pushed 2017-01-11

Audience · pm founderComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · moderate

TL;DR

A starter project for running scheduled, automated tasks inside Docker containers. It bundles your recurring jobs with everything they need so they run the same way anywhere.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Scheduled tasks
      Automated jobs
      Isolated containers
    Tech stack
      Docker
      Cron
    Use cases
      Weekly reports
      Database backups
      Data cleanup
    Audience
      Founders
      Product managers
      Docker users

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Run a nightly script to pull daily sales numbers into a spreadsheet.

REASON 2

Back up a database automatically every night.

REASON 3

Automatically clear out old user data on a monthly schedule.

REASON 4

Send recurring report emails on a weekly basis.

What's in the stack?

DockerCron

How it stacks up

marianovilla/docker-cron000madz000/rfid-attendance00kaku/gallery-slider-block
LanguageTypeScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2017-01-112024-07-222021-05-19
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultymoderateeasyeasy
Complexity2/52/52/5
Audiencepm founderdevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

The README lacks detailed setup instructions, so you will need to inspect the project files directly to understand the schedule and configuration.

The license terms are not mentioned, so it is unclear what permissions you have for using or modifying this project.

Wtf does this do

The docker-cron project shows you how to run scheduled tasks inside a Docker container. A scheduled task, or "cron job," is simply an automated job that runs at a specific time or on a regular interval, like sending a weekly report email every Friday or backing up a database every night. Docker is a tool that bundles software and all its dependencies into a single, self-contained package called a container. This means the task will run exactly the same way regardless of where you run it, avoiding the "it works on my machine" problem. By combining Docker with cron, you get a reliable way to handle repetitive background jobs in a clean, isolated environment. This project would be useful for anyone who needs to automate routine tasks but wants to keep them neatly separated from other software. For example, a founder might use it to run a nightly script that pulls daily sales numbers into a spreadsheet, or a product manager could use it to automatically clear out old user data every month. It is best suited for people who already use Docker for their applications and want a straightforward way to manage recurring maintenance or data-processing jobs. The README does not go into detail on the specific setup or configuration, so you will need to look at the project's files directly to see exactly how the schedule is defined and what commands are executed. It serves as a practical starting point rather than a full, ready-to-use application.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me add a new cron job to this docker-cron project that runs a Python script every Monday at 9am.
Prompt 2
Walk me through the files in this docker-cron repo to understand how the cron schedule is defined and how to change it.
Prompt 3
Help me build and run this docker-cron container locally so I can test a scheduled shell script.
Prompt 4
Show me how to add a cron job to this project that backs up a Postgres database every night at midnight.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is docker-cron?

A starter project for running scheduled, automated tasks inside Docker containers. It bundles your recurring jobs with everything they need so they run the same way anywhere.

Is docker-cron actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2017-01-11).

What license does docker-cron use?

The license terms are not mentioned, so it is unclear what permissions you have for using or modifying this project.

How hard is docker-cron to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is docker-cron for?

Mainly pm founder.

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