In this guide, I’ll show you how to schedule and run cron jobs in Laravel 12. You can automate tasks like emails, reports, or cleanup using Laravel’s built-in task scheduler. No more relying on browser hits or external scripts.

What is Laravel Task Scheduling?

Laravel’s task scheduler lets you automate repetitive tasks by writing scheduled commands in code. It replaces the need for messy cron syntax.

Step-by-Step: Set Up Cron Jobs in Laravel 12

 

Install laravel 12 application using the following command.

laravel new example-app

 

Run the following Artisan command to create a new console command:

php artisan make:command SendEmailReport --command=report:send

This will create a file in app/Console/Commands/SendEmailReport.php

namespace App\Console\Commands;

use Illuminate\Console\Command;

class SendEmailReport extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'report:send';
    protected $description = 'Send daily email report';

    public function handle()
    {
        // Your logic here
        \Log::info("Daily email report sent at " . now());
        // Or trigger a Mailable or job here
    }
}

 

routes/console.php

<?php
  
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schedule;
  
Schedule::command('report:send')->everyMinute();

You can customize the timing using methods like:

• ->everyMinute()
• ->hourly()
• ->daily()
• ->weekly()
• ->cron('0 0 * * *') // custom cron expression

 

To test your command manually.

php artisan report:send

To test the scheduler manually.

php artisan schedule:run

 

Open your crontab editor:

crontab -e

Add the following line:

* * * * * cd /path-to-your-project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Replace /path-to-your-project with your Laravel project directory.

This runs Laravel's scheduler every minute, and Laravel will decide which tasks should run.

 

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• Read Also: How to Add Email Verification in Laravel 11
• Read Also: Laravel 10 Contact Form: Send Email using Gmail SMTP