> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.insforge.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Schedules: cron-triggered functions

> Trigger InsForge functions on a cron schedule with pg_cron: secret-aware headers, job logs, retry guidance, and keep-alive tips.

Schedules invoke functions on a recurring cron expression. [pg\_cron](https://github.com/citusdata/pg_cron) fires an HTTP request to the function URL at each tick and logs the result.

## Concepts

A schedule is a cron expression, a target URL, and headers. On creation, `${{secrets.KEY}}` placeholders in headers are resolved and encrypted with `pgcrypto`. At each tick, `execute_job()` decrypts headers, calls the function, and writes status and duration to `schedules.job_logs`.

## Usage

Standard 5-field cron (no seconds). Reference secrets in headers instead of hardcoding keys.

```text theme={null}
*/5 * * * *   every 5 minutes
0 * * * *     every hour
0 0 * * *     daily at midnight
0 9 * * 1     every Monday at 9am
0 0 1 * *     first of every month
```

Create via dashboard or SQL:

```sql theme={null}
select schedules.create_job(
  name       => 'daily-cleanup',
  schedule   => '0 0 * * *',
  url        => 'https://myapp.functions.insforge.app/cleanup',
  headers    => jsonb_build_object('Authorization', 'Bearer ${{secrets.CRON_TOKEN}}')
);
```

## Limits

Minimum interval is 1 minute (pg\_cron). Failed runs are logged but not retried, so the function must be idempotent. Deleting a referenced secret breaks every job using it until you update or disable the schedule.

## Long-interval callers and keep-alive

The backend closes idle HTTP connections after 65 seconds by default (configurable with `KEEP_ALIVE_TIMEOUT_MS`). A job that fires less often than that — every 5 minutes, for example — always finds a reused keep-alive socket already closed on the server side. This can stall the first request in a warm function for \~30 seconds.

When a scheduled function calls other APIs, you have two options. Set a short client timeout (well under 30 seconds) and retry once on a fresh connection. Or disable connection reuse by sending `Connection: close` so every tick opens a fresh socket.

## More resources

* [pg\_cron docs](https://github.com/citusdata/pg_cron) for cron syntax.
* [Functions overview](/core-concepts/functions/overview) for the runtime.
* [crontab.guru](https://crontab.guru) to check an expression.