005·75

cron job

/krɒn dʒɒb/ - n.

1 [colloq.] A line of asterisks on a server in the closet, quietly running the business since a tenure no one present can confirm.Keep. Punchy.This is the problem.

Working definition

2. A task scheduled to run automatically at fixed times or intervals, defined by a crontab expression on a host.

Filed

See also

brittle jobA job documented entirely in the muscle memory of the one person who knows which step to re-run first.
it runs on dave's laptopThe architecture diagram for a critical daily process, redrawn every time Dave takes a vacation.
orchestrationThe discipline of deciding which job runs first, now practiced by three tools that each believe they are in charge.
schedulerThe component that decides when work happens, currently outvoted by a cron entry no one will admit to writing.