Cron Minute Field Regex for JavaScript
/^(?:\*(?:/[1-9]|/[1-5][0-9])?|(?:[0-9]|[1-5][0-9])(?:-(?:[0-9]|[1-5][0-9]))?(?:/[1-9]|/[1-5][0-9])?(?:,(?:[0-9]|[1-5][0-9]))*)$/What this pattern does
This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching cron minute field, ported and verified for JavaScript. A rigorously tested regex reduces debugging time and protects your application from edge-case failures. The snippet below is ready to drop into your JavaScript project — whether you're validating in an Express middleware, a Next.js API route, or a client-side form.
Javascript Implementation
// Cron Minute Field
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Dev & Systems > Cron
const cronMinuteFieldRegex = /^(?:\*(?:\/[1-9]|\/[1-5][0-9])?|(?:[0-9]|[1-5][0-9])(?:-(?:[0-9]|[1-5][0-9]))?(?:\/[1-9]|\/[1-5][0-9])?(?:,(?:[0-9]|[1-5][0-9]))*)$/;
function validateCronMinuteField(input: string): boolean {
return cronMinuteFieldRegex.test(input);
}
// Example
console.log(validateCronMinuteField("*")); // trueTest Cases
Matches (Valid) | Rejects (Invalid) |
|---|---|
* | 60 |
0 | */0 |
59 | -1 |
*/15 | 0-60 |
0,15,30,45 | abc |
0-30 | — |
*/5 | — |
10-50 | — |
When to use this pattern
This pattern is drawn from the Dev & Systems > Cron category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for JavaScript developers because especially critical in long-running Node.js event loops where a ReDoS vulnerability can block the entire process. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.
Common Pitfalls
*/0 would theoretically mean every 0 minutes — most cron implementations reject it with an error. Always validate step values >= 1.
Technical Notes
Steps (/n) must be >= 1. A step of 0 is invalid and would cause infinite loops or errors in cron implementations. Range start must be <= range end (not validated by regex).
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