How to add cron jobs on Vercel

Add a function file at the path you'll reference, such as api/cron.ts or app/api/cron/route.ts in Next.js. This handles cron invocations via HTTP GET. Example for Node.js:

import type { VercelRequest, VercelResponse } from '@vercel/node';
export default function handler(req: VercelRequest, res: VercelResponse) {
  // Your task logic here (make idempotent for duplicates)
  res.status(200).json({ success: true });
}

Path must start with /; test locally with curl http://localhost:3000/api/cron.

Add an environment variable CRON_SECRET (random 16+ chars) in Vercel dashboard. Check Authorization header in handler:

const authHeader = req.headers.authorization;
if (!process.env.CRON_SECRET || authHeader !== `Bearer ${process.env.CRON_SECRET}`) {
  return res.status(401).json({ success: false });
}
// Proceed with task

Vercel auto-sends it as Bearer token on invocation.

Create or edit vercel.json with crons array. Each job needs path (starts with /, e.g. "/api/cron") and schedule (5-field cron string, UTC). Example for daily 5 AM:

{
  "crons": [
    {
      "path": "/api/cron",
      "schedule": "0 5 * * *"
    }
  ]
}

Examples: every 24h "0 0 * * *", hourly "0 * * * *".

Push to production branch (e.g. main) for auto-deploy, or use CLI vercel --prod. Crons activate only on production deployments (previews ignored). Invocations hit your prod URL like https://your-project.vercel.app/api/cron. Post-build, jobs are live.

Log in at vercel.com/dashboard, select Project > Settings > Cron Jobs tab. Lists active jobs with paths/schedules/next run. Click View Logs to filter logs by requestPath:/api/cron.

Test endpoint locally: curl http://localhost:3000/api/cron (prod skips redirects). Dashboard shows invocations, errors. Jobs non-concurrent by default; duration matches Function limits.

Edit vercel.json (change schedule/path or remove), redeploy. Or use dashboard Disable Cron Jobs button (re-enable via redeploy). Changes reflect post-deploy.

Design tasks idempotent: use IDs/timestamps, check state before changes. Combine with locks for reliability. Avoid side effects on duplicates.