Cron Job

Set up cron jobs in ShipAhead to schedule automated tasks like sending reminder emails.

Tools Used

• cron-job.org: Free external service to schedule jobs by calling your API endpoints.

Setup & Configuration

1. Set CRON_SECRET

   • Set an environment variable to protect your cron endpoints:
     .env.local

     CRON_SECRET="your-secret-key"

   • The secret key can be anything you type yourself (e.g., a long random string), or you can generate one using a password generator.

2. Use ShipAhead’s Built-in API Endpoint

   • Each job lives in /server/jobs/ (e.g., sendReminderEmails.js).
   • Trigger them via /api/cron/[job].
     Example:
     Code

     https://your-site.com/api/cron/sendReminderEmails

3. Create a Cron Job on cron-job.org

   • Go to cron-job.org and create an account.
   • Add a New Cron Job:
     • URL: https://your-site.com/api/cron/sendReminderEmails
     • Execution schedule: e.g., 0 8 * * * (runs daily at 8 AM).
   • Under Advanced → HTTP Headers, add:
     Code

     X-Cron-Secret: your-secret-key

Usage

• Run Existing Jobs
  ShipAhead includes an example job:
  /server/jobs/sendReminderEmails.js
  Triggered at https://your-site.com/api/cron/sendReminderEmails.

• Create New Jobs

  1. Add a new job file in /server/jobs/:
     javascript

     // server/jobs/myNewJob.js
     export async function myNewJob() {
         console.log('[CRON] Running my new job...');
         // Add your logic here (e.g., update database, send notifications)
     }

  2. Trigger it via endpoint:
     Code

     https://your-site.com/api/cron/myNewJob

  3. Configure a cron-job.org schedule with the same URL and add the X-Cron-Secret header.

• Verify Jobs

  • Check server logs for [CRON] messages.
  • Or test your API endpoint directly with the header:
    bash

    curl -H "X-Cron-Secret: your-secret-key" https://your-site.com/api/cron/myNewJob

Why cron-job.org?

• No need to install node-cron or run background workers.
• Works with serverless platforms like Vercel, Netlify, or Cloudflare.
• Secure with your custom X-Cron-Secret.