Cron Job Not Executing: Detect When Jobs Don't Run
Your cron job is scheduled, but it's not executing. Learn how to detect when jobs don't run and verify execution.
Why Jobs Don't Execute
Cron jobs can be scheduled but not execute:
- Cron daemon stops running
- System time changes
- Job disabled in crontab
- User account locked
- System powered off
- Resource limits prevent execution
- Syntax errors in crontab
Without explicit confirmation, you have no way to know if the job actually ran.
How to Detect Non-Execution
Send an explicit ping at the start and end of your job. If the ping doesn't arrive, you know the job didn't execute. The ping must be inside your script.
Bash Example: Ping on Execution
#!/bin/bashset -e# Ping at start to confirm job began# Your actual work./backup.sh# Single ping at end - if job fails, ping won't arrive and DeadManPing will alertcurl -X POST "https://deadmanping.com/api/ping/backup-daily"Python Example: Execution Confirmation
import requestsimport datetime# Your actual workperform_backup()# Single ping at end - if job fails, ping won't arrive and DeadManPing will alertrequests.post("https://deadmanping.com/api/ping/backup-daily")Detecting Non-Execution with Dead Man Switch
A dead man switch detects non-execution by monitoring whether your explicit ping arrives. If the ping doesn't arrive within the expected interval, you know the job didn't execute.
Working Examples
See complete, working code examples in our GitHub repository:
View Examples on GitHub →Start Detecting Non-Execution
DeadManPing monitors whether your execution pings arrive. Set up monitoring in 2 minutes, get alerts when jobs don't execute.
Start Monitoring FreeRelated Articles
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