django-crontab

library0.7.1pypypiunverified

django-crontab is a Python library providing dead-simple job scheduling for Django applications, leveraging the system's `crontab` utility. The latest version is 0.7.1, released in March 2016. Due to its age and lack of recent updates, it is best suited for legacy Django projects (up to Django 2.0) or users prepared to address potential issues themselves.

workflow web-framework database

pip install django-crontab

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · DJANGO-CRONTAB

django-crontab

workflowpythonv0.7.1

Install

4.4s avg

Import

—

Disk

66MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v0.7.1 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.000s · 67.7MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 4.4s · import 0.000s · 68MB

66MB installed

● package 66MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

CRONJOBS (setting)

✓ CRONJOBS = [('*/5 * * * *', 'myapp.cron.my_scheduled_job')]

Configuration is primarily done via the CRONJOBS setting in settings.py, pointing to a Python callable, rather than direct module imports for scheduling logic.

To quickly set up `django-crontab`, first add `django_crontab` to your `INSTALLED_APPS`. Then, define your scheduled functions within a Python file (e.g., `myapp/cron.py`). Finally, specify these jobs in your `settings.py` using the `CRONJOBS` list, and activate them by running `python manage.py crontab add`. Remember to run `crontab add` after any changes to `CRONJOBS`.

import os # settings.py INSTALLED_APPS = [ # ... 'django_crontab', 'myapp', # Your app containing the cron job ] CRONJOBS = [ # Run 'myapp.cron.my_scheduled_job' every 5 minutes ('*/5 * * * *', 'myapp.cron.my_scheduled_job'), # Example calling a Django management command daily at midnight ('0 0 * * *', 'django.core.management.call_command', ['clearsessions']), # Example with arguments and redirecting output to a log file ('0 0 * * 0', 'django.core.management.call_command', ['dumpdata', 'auth'], {'indent': 4}, f'> {os.environ.get('DJANGO_CRON_LOG_DIR', '/tmp')}/last_sunday_auth_backup.json'), ] # myapp/cron.py # Create this file in your Django app def my_scheduled_job(): # Your periodic task logic goes here print('My scheduled job ran!') # Example: Log to a file or database with open(f'{os.environ.get('DJANGO_CRON_LOG_DIR', '/tmp')}/django_crontab_log.txt', 'a') as f: f.write('Job executed at ' + str(os.time.time()) + '\n') # After configuring, run in your terminal: # python manage.py crontab add # To view jobs: # python manage.py crontab show # To remove jobs: # python manage.py crontab remove

Debug

Known issues

breakingThe project is effectively abandoned, with the last release in March 2016. This means critical bugs, security vulnerabilities, or incompatibilities with newer Python/Django versions (beyond Django 2.0) are unlikely to be addressed.

fix

Consider alternative scheduling libraries like `django-apscheduler` or `django-cron` for modern Django projects, or be prepared to fork and maintain `django-crontab` yourself.

affects: 0.7.1 and older

gotchaYou MUST run `python manage.py crontab add` every time you modify the `CRONJOBS` setting in your `settings.py`. Forgetting this step is a very common reason why scheduled tasks do not run as expected.

fix

Always execute `python manage.py crontab add` after any change to your `CRONJOBS` list. To remove all jobs, use `python manage.py crontab remove`.

affects: All versions

gotchaThe library does not work on Windows operating systems, as it relies on the underlying Unix `crontab` utility.

fix

Deploy your Django application to a Linux-based environment (e.g., Docker container, VPS) for `django-crontab` to function correctly. Consider Windows-compatible task schedulers or alternative Django-based solutions for Windows development.

affects: All versions

gotchaWhen running in Docker or other containerized environments, the cron daemon might not be running by default, or the Python executable path might be incorrect. This can lead to jobs being 'added' but never executing.

fix

Ensure the `cron` service is started within your Docker container's entrypoint or `CMD` (e.g., `service cron start && tail -f /var/log/cron.log`). Verify that the Python executable used by cron (often `/usr/local/bin/python` in containers) matches your environment.

affects: All versions

Upgrade

Version history

0.7.1latest on PyPI · released Mar 7, 2016

Audit

Dependencies

DjangorequiredThe library explicitly states compatibility with Django 1.8-2.0. Newer Django versions may have compatibility issues due to the lack of updates.

Agent activity

11 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/kraiz/django-crontab ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/django-crontab/ ↗