Simplify Task Automation with PHP Cron Scheduler: A Step‑by‑Step Guide

Introduction

Traditional cron management requires creating a separate crontab line for each scheduled task and editing it via SSH, which quickly becomes cumbersome. PHP Cron Scheduler is a framework‑agnostic library that lets you define all jobs in code and run them through a single scheduler.php entry.

GitHub repository: https://github.com/peppeocchi/php-cron-scheduler

How It Works

Create a scheduler.php file in your project root and add the following bootstrap code:

<?php
require_once __DIR__.'/vendor/autoload.php';
use GO\Scheduler;
$scheduler = new Scheduler();
// configure jobs here …
$scheduler->run();

Then add a single crontab line that runs this file every minute:

* * * * * /path/to/php /path/to/scheduler.php >> /dev/null 2>&1

The scheduler will evaluate all defined jobs each minute and execute those that are due.

Scheduling Jobs

By default, jobs run in the background; PHP scripts and raw commands are backgrounded, while functions run in the foreground. Use inForeground() to force a command to run in the foreground, which is required for jobs that need to send output via email.

Running a PHP Script

$scheduler->php('path/to/my/script.php');

The php() method accepts four parameters: script path, PHP binary (optional), an array of arguments, and an identifier.

$scheduler->php(
    'path/to/my/script.php', // script to execute
    '/usr/local/bin/php',    // optional PHP binary
    [
        '-c' => 'ignore',
        '--merge' => null,
    ],
    'myCustomIdentifier'
);

Running a Raw Command

$scheduler->raw('ps aux | grep httpd');

The raw() method also takes three parameters: the command string, an optional arguments array, and an identifier.

$scheduler->raw(
    'mycommand | myOtherCommand',
    [
        '-v' => '6',
        '--silent' => null,
    ],
    'myCustomIdentifier'
);

Scheduling an Anonymous Function

$scheduler->call(function () {
    return true;
});

The call() method accepts the closure, an optional arguments array, and an identifier.

$scheduler->call(
    function ($args) {
        return $args['user'];
    },
    [
        ['user' => $user],
    ],
    'myCustomIdentifier'
);

When passing key‑value pairs, wrap them in an inner array; the keys are ignored unless you explicitly handle them inside the closure.

Setting Execution Times

If no timing method is called, a job runs every minute (the * expression). The scheduler supports any dragonmantank/cron-expression pattern via at(), as well as convenient helpers:

Every Minute

$scheduler->php('script.php')->everyMinute();
$scheduler->php('script.php')->everyMinute(5); // every 5 minutes

Hourly

$scheduler->php('script.php')->hourly();
$scheduler->php('script.php')->hourly(53); // at minute 53 of each hour

Daily

$scheduler->php('script.php')->daily();
$scheduler->php('script.php')->daily(22, 03); // 22:03 each day
$scheduler->php('script.php')->daily('22:03');

Project Application Example

A real‑world usage in a ThinkPHP project:

<?php
declare(strict_types=1);
namespace think;

date_default_timezone_set('PRC');
require __DIR__.'/vendor/autoload.php';
$bin = '/usr/local/php-8.2/bin/php';
$script = __DIR__.'/think';
$scheduler = new \GO\Scheduler();
// Auto‑ship orders daily at 00:30
$scheduler->php($script.' order delivery', $bin)->daily(0, 30);
// Auto‑cancel orders every 5 minutes
$scheduler->php($script.' order cancel', $bin)->everyMinute(5);
$scheduler->run();