Introduction to A1Cron
A1Cron is A1Base’s powerful cron job management system that enables you to schedule and automate HTTP requests with precision. Whether you need to run daily reports, sync data between systems, or perform regular health checks, A1Cron provides the tools you need to automate these tasks reliably.
What is A1Cron?
A1Cron allows you to:
Schedule HTTP requests to run at specific times and intervals
Monitor execution status and view detailed logs
Configure automatic retries for failed requests
Receive webhook notifications for job outcomes
Organize jobs with tags for easy management
Core Concepts
Cron Jobs
A cron job is a scheduled task that executes an HTTP request at specified intervals. Each job includes:
Endpoint URL : The target URL to call
Schedule : When and how often to run
HTTP Configuration : Method, headers, and body
Retry Settings : How to handle failures
Callbacks : Webhooks for success/failure notifications
Scheduling Options
Hourly Daily Weekly Monthly Run tasks every N hours. Perfect for:
Regular data syncs
Cache refreshing
Monitoring checks
{
"repeat_type" : "hourly" ,
"repeat_every" : 2 ,
"time" : "00:30"
}
Run tasks every N hours. Perfect for:
Regular data syncs
Cache refreshing
Monitoring checks
{
"repeat_type" : "hourly" ,
"repeat_every" : 2 ,
"time" : "00:30"
}
Execute at a specific time each day. Ideal for:
Daily reports
Backup operations
End-of-day processing
{
"repeat_type" : "days" ,
"repeat_every" : 1 ,
"time" : "09:00"
}
Run on specific days of the week. Great for:
Weekly summaries
Business day operations
Weekend maintenance
{
"repeat_type" : "weeks" ,
"repeat_every" : 1 ,
"time" : "08:00" ,
"days_of_week" : [ "1" , "3" , "5" ]
}
Execute on the first of each month. Perfect for:
Monthly billing
Report generation
Data archival
{
"repeat_type" : "months" ,
"repeat_every" : 1 ,
"time" : "00:00"
}
Timezone Support
All cron jobs run in the timezone you specify. A1Cron supports all standard timezone identifiers:
America/New_York
Europe/London
Asia/Tokyo
UTC
Timezone support ensures your jobs run at the correct local time, automatically adjusting for daylight saving time changes.
Retry Configuration
Configure how A1Cron handles failed requests:
{
"max_retries" : 3 ,
"retry_delay_seconds" : 60 ,
"timeout_seconds" : 30
}
max_retries : Number of retry attempts (0-10)
retry_delay_seconds : Wait time between retries
timeout_seconds : Maximum time to wait for response
Webhook Callbacks
Get notified about job execution results:
{
"success_url" : "https://your-app.com/webhooks/cron-success" ,
"failure_url" : "https://your-app.com/webhooks/cron-failure"
}
Callbacks receive POST requests with execution details:
{
"cron_job_id" : "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000" ,
"execution_id" : "exe_123456" ,
"status" : "success" ,
"executed_at" : "2024-01-25T14:00:00Z" ,
"response_code" : 200 ,
"response_time_ms" : 245
}
Authentication
All API requests require authentication headers:
X-API-Key: your-api-key
X-API-Secret: your-api-secret
Get your credentials from the A1Base Dashboard .
Base URL
All A1Cron endpoints use the base URL:
Rate Limits
API Requests : 1000 requests per hour
Cron Jobs : Maximum 100 active jobs per account
Execution Frequency : Minimum interval of 1 hour for hourly jobs
Best Practices
Design Idempotent Endpoints
Your endpoint should handle being called multiple times safely. Use unique identifiers or timestamps to prevent duplicate processing.
Handle Timeouts Gracefully
Set appropriate timeout values and ensure your endpoints can complete within the configured time limit.
Use Tags for Organization
Regularly review execution logs to identify patterns and optimize performance.
Use the manual trigger feature to test your cron jobs before enabling scheduled execution.
Next Steps
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