---
title: "Running cron on your site"
date: "2024-02-14T06:18:38+00:00"
summary: "Optimize your website's performance by mastering cron scheduling. Learn how to set up automatic tasks, run cron manually, and ensure critical operations execute on time for smooth site functionality."
image:
type: "page"
url: "/site-factory/running-cron-your-site"
id: "d640df58-c751-4c8b-9767-662fabafa785"
---

Certain tasks, such as checking for updates and indexing, must execute periodically for your website to operate correctly, and should be scheduled in advance.

To ensure tasks execute on a regular schedule, Site Factory websites use _cron_ (also called _Poor man’s cron_). Cron runs at a scheduled configured interval, and executes any management tasks provided by other website modules and features.

Note

Since website activity triggers cron, configuring the cron interval from the website does not guarantee cron will run on the schedule you define. To ensure a greater likelihood of a particular cron execution schedule, use the [Cron job page](/site-factory/manage/preferences/tasks/factory) in the Site Factory Management Console.

Setting a cron schedule
-----------------------

To configure how frequently cron runs on your website:

1.  Go to **Configuration > Cron**.
    
2.  In the **Run cron every** list, select the amount of time you want to elapse before cron runs again.
    
    Acquia recommends you select **1 day** for your websites. Do not select **Never** for the cron run frequency unless you want to disable the cron job.
    
3.  Click **Save configuration**.
    

Running cron manually
---------------------

To manually run cron immediately, regardless of its scheduled run time, select one of the following methods:

### Cron configuration page

After signing in to your website as an administrator, to manually run cron:

1.  Go to **Configuration > Cron**.
    
2.  Click **Run cron**.
    

### Cron URL

You can also run cron on your website by visiting a specific cron URL. Your website’s cron URL displays on the Cron configuration page at **Configuration** > **Cron**.

![Cron URL](https://acquia.widen.net/content/5fuersdqc4/jpeg/site-factory_configuring-cron.jpeg?position=c&color=ffffffff&quality=80&u=u1mnox)

Visiting the URL with your unique cron key appended to the URL will run cron on your website, even if you are not signed in to the website.