Linux: Crontab Guru and Cockpit

Crontab Guru (Cronitor Dashboard) & Cockpit for Linux

This document explains how Crontab Guru (Cronitor Dashboard) and Cockpit work on Linux Mint, how they are run, and provides example workflows for daily use.

Crontab Guru (Cronitor Dashboard)

What it is

• A local web dashboard for managing and monitoring cron jobs
• Accessible at: http://localhost:9022/
• Powered by the Cronitor CLI (/usr/bin/cronitor)
• Configured via /etc/cronitor/cronitor.json

How it runs

Installation:

curl https://crontab.guru/install | sh

Managed as a systemd service:

sudo systemctl start crontab-guru-dashboard
sudo systemctl stop crontab-guru-dashboard
sudo systemctl restart crontab-guru-dashboard
sudo systemctl status crontab-guru-dashboard

Auto-start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable crontab-guru-dashboard

Configuration

The configuration file /etc/cronitor/cronitor.json contains:

• CRONITOR_DASH_USER / CRONITOR_DASH_PASS → dashboard login credentials
• CRONITOR_USERS → which system users’ crontabs are monitored (e.g., root, mark)
• Other fields allow integration with Cronitor Cloud, logging, and hostname overrides

What you can do with it

• View cron jobs for the configured users
• Track execution times and job history
• Verify new cron entries are picked up
• Use it alongside crontab.guru (web tool) for building cron expressions

Cockpit

What it is

• A web-based system administration dashboard
• Accessible at: https://localhost:9090/
• Provides a friendly GUI for managing services, logs, and system health

What you can do with it

• System monitoring: real-time CPU, memory, disk, and network graphs
• Service management: start/stop/restart services (e.g., crontab-guru-dashboard)
• Logs: browse and filter system logs without journalctl
• Storage: view partitions, usage, and disks
• Users: manage accounts, sessions, and passwords
• Software updates: install updates via GUI (with cockpit-packagekit)

Good ways to use Cockpit

• Quick health check after boot
• Service control without terminal commands
• Searching through system logs when debugging
• Remote system management (optional, if secured)

Example Workflows

1. Add a new cron job and verify in Crontab Guru

crontab -e

Example job:

0 3 * * * /home/mark/scripts/backup.sh

1. Save and exit
2. Open http://localhost:9022/ → log in → verify the job appears under user mark

2. Restart a failed service in Cockpit

1. Open https://localhost:9090/ → log in
2. Go to Services
3. Search for crontab-guru-dashboard
4. If it’s failed or inactive → click Restart

3. Check system health before troubleshooting

1. Open Cockpit → Overview page
2. Check CPU/Memory/Disk graphs for spikes
3. Open Logs → filter by “Error” or “Warning”

4. Manage Crontab Guru via systemd

Restart dashboard:

sudo systemctl restart crontab-guru-dashboard

Check status:

systemctl status crontab-guru-dashboard --no-pager

Enable auto-start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable crontab-guru-dashboard

Summary

• Crontab Guru (Cronitor Dashboard) gives visibility into cron jobs and schedules
• Cockpit provides a full system management dashboard (services, logs, performance, storage)
• Together, they let you manage scheduled jobs and system health from easy-to-use interfaces

Additional Resources

• Crontab Guru Website - Build cron expressions
• Cockpit Documentation
• Systemd Service Management