What is an online cron service?

An online cron service, like Web Service Scheduler (WSS), is a remotely hosted utility that offers functionality similar to that offered by a unix/linux daemon (system service) called crond.

These services, sometimes referred to as web cron or an online scheduler, allow website professionals (webmaster, database administrator, backup administrator, developer, etc.) to schedule one or more jobs (or cron jobs) to execute on a regular basis. These jobs are typically scripts (PHP, ASP, CGI) and must be accessible over the Internet.

An online scheduling utility can help you in several ways:

• Cron Alternative - Web hosting providers often restrict access to cron/ crontab features citing security reasons or to conserve system resources. Online cron services will work outside of these restrictions.
• User-friendly Interface - The cron interface can be somewhat confusing to individuals unfamiliar with unix environments. In addition to that the various settings possible for job timing can be intimidating. An online cron service uses a web form to collect data and then ensures that the data is formatted correctly with little user intervention. No need to worry about a crontab file.

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