Run PHP Scripts in the Cloud On Schedule

Stop wrestling with complex server setups, unreliable shared hosting cron jobs, and expensive infrastructure just to run simple PHP scripts. CronPop gives you a modern PHP 8.4 environment in the cloud that runs your code exactly when scheduled, with built-in monitoring and error alerts. Focus on writing great code, not managing servers.

🚀 Zero Setup - No servers, no SSH, no hassle
💯 Reliable Execution - Built-in monitoring and error alerts
💰 Pay Per Use - No idle server costs
Start Running Scripts Free →

100 free credits • No credit card required • Modern PHP 8.4

The PHP Scheduling Problem

Running scheduled PHP scripts shouldn't be this complicated:

😤

Hosting Restrictions

Shared hosting blocks cron jobs or limits them severely

💸

Expensive Servers

$20-50/month for a VPS just to run a few scripts

🔥

Silent Failures

Scripts fail and you never know until it's too late

⏰

Time Waste

Hours spent on server setup instead of writing code

🎯 The CronPop Solution

CronPop runs your PHP scripts in a modern cloud environment with PHP 8.4, reliable scheduling, built-in monitoring, and instant error alerts. No servers to manage, no setup complexity.

⚡ Fresh Environment Every Time

Your scripts run in a clean, ephemeral environment - perfect for processing data and sending results elsewhere. Each execution starts fresh with no leftover files or state.

✅ Process API data and email/webhook the results
✅ Generate reports and send them instantly
✅ Monitor services and trigger alerts
✅ No persistent storage needed - everything happens in memory

Perfect for:

📊 API Data Processing

Fetch data from APIs and send results via email (via API) or webhook

📧 Automated Notifications

Send alerts, reports, and scheduled notifications (via API or webhook)

🔍 Monitoring & Alerts

Check services and notify when issues are detected

🔄 External Integrations

Trigger webhooks and update external systems

🚀 Get Your First Script Running in 5 Minutes

From idea to execution in minutes, not hours. Here's how to run your first scheduled PHP script:

Start Free →

Get 100 free executions • No infrastructure setup • Modern PHP environment

Step 1: Write Your PHP Script

Start with any of these common automation tasks. Each example works in the cloud environment:

Here are some examples of what you can build:

  • 🔗 API Integration: Fetch weather data, stock prices, or social media metrics from external APIs
  • 📧 Email Notifications: Send daily summaries, system alerts, or reminder emails. You need to provide your own email API.
  • 🔄 Webhook Triggers: Send notifications to Slack, trigger Zapier workflows, or update external systems
  • 📈 Data Collection: Monitor prices, collect analytics data, or gather information from multiple sources
New to scheduled scripts? Start with a simple "Hello World" script to see how it works, then adapt it to your needs.

Step 2: Set Up Your Job

1. Create Free Account 2. Create Script Job

Here's a complete example to get you started:

🌦️ Daily Weather Alert Script

<?php
// Fetch weather data from API
$apiKey = 'your-weather-api-key';
$city = 'San Francisco';
$url = "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q={$city}&appid={$apiKey}&units=metric";

$response = file_get_contents($url);
$weather = json_decode($response, true);

// Check if rain is expected
if (isset($weather['weather'][0]['main']) && $weather['weather'][0]['main'] === 'Rain') {
    $temp = round($weather['main']['temp']);
    $description = $weather['weather'][0]['description'];

    // Send alert via webhook (e.g., Slack or Discord)
    $webhookUrl = 'https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/SLACK/WEBHOOK';
    $message = "☔ Rain Alert for {$city}\n\nDon't forget your umbrella!\nWeather: {$description}\nTemperature: {$temp}°C";

    $payload = json_encode(['text' => $message]);
    $context = stream_context_create([
        'http' => [
            'method' => 'POST',
            'header' => 'Content-Type: application/json',
            'content' => $payload
        ]
    ]);

    file_get_contents($webhookUrl, false, $context);

    echo "Rain alert sent to Slack! Weather: {$description}, {$temp}°C";
} else {
    echo "No rain expected today in {$city}";
}
?>
A descriptive name for your script job
Optional description of what this script does
Run every morning to get yesterday's data
Choose PHP Script for custom code execution
Need help? Ask AI to write your script
Get alerted when your script fails or recovers

Click "Create Job" to start running your script on schedule!

Step 3: Test and Monitor

After creating your script job:

  1. Check the first execution:
    • Go to your CronPop dashboard
    • Look for your script job in the list
    • Click "Details" to see execution results
    • Check the script output and any error messages
  2. Debug if needed:
    • Use echo statements to output progress
    • Check for syntax errors in the execution log
    • Verify database connections and API endpoints
    • Remember: you have 30 seconds and 128MB memory
  3. Monitor ongoing performance:
    • Set up email notifications for failures
    • Review execution history to spot trends
    • Check execution times to optimize performance

PHP Environment Details

PHP Version: 8.4 (latest stable)
Memory Limit: 128MB per execution
Execution Time: 30 seconds maximum
Available Extensions: Core, JSON, cURL, OpenSSL, mbstring
File System: Read-only except /tmp (ephemeral)
Network: Full HTTP/HTTPS access for API calls

More Script Ideas

Need inspiration? Here are two more examples of what you can build:

📧 Status Report Emailer

<?php
// Send daily status report via slack
$servicesToCheck = [
    'https://api.example.com/health' => 'API Service',
    'https://website.example.com' => 'Main Website',
    'https://cdn.example.com/status.json' => 'CDN Status'
];

$report = "Daily Status Report - " . date('Y-m-d H:i') . "\n\n";
$allHealthy = true;

foreach ($servicesToCheck as $url => $name) {
    $context = stream_context_create(['http' => ['timeout' => 10]]);
    $response = file_get_contents($url, false, $context);

    if ($response !== false) {
        $report .= "✅ $name: OK\n";
        echo "$name: healthy\n";
    } else {
        $report .= "❌ $name: FAILED\n";
        $allHealthy = false;
        echo "$name: failed\n";
    }
}

$status = $allHealthy ? "✅ All Systems Healthy" : "⚠️ Service Issues Detected";
$message = "{$status}\n\n{$report}";

// Send to Slack webhook
$webhookUrl = 'https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/SLACK/WEBHOOK';
$payload = json_encode(['text' => $message]);
$context = stream_context_create([
    'http' => [
        'method' => 'POST',
        'header' => 'Content-Type: application/json',
        'content' => $payload
    ]
]);
file_get_contents($webhookUrl, false, $context);

echo "Status report sent to Slack\n";

🔄 Price Monitoring Alert

<?php
// Monitor product prices and send Slack alert when price drops
$productsToMonitor = [
    'https://api.example-store.com/products/123' => 'Gaming Laptop',
    'https://api.another-store.com/item/456' => 'Wireless Headphones'
];

$targetPrice = 500; // Alert if price drops below this
$alerts = [];

foreach ($productsToMonitor as $apiUrl => $productName) {
    $response = file_get_contents($apiUrl);
    $data = json_decode($response, true);

    if ($data && isset($data['price'])) {
        $currentPrice = $data['price'];
        echo "$productName: $" . number_format($currentPrice, 2) . "\n";

        if ($currentPrice < $targetPrice) {
            $alerts[] = "🚨 $productName dropped to $" . number_format($currentPrice, 2);
        }
    }
}

// Send Slack alert if any prices dropped
if (!empty($alerts)) {
    $message = "💰 Price Alert!\n\n" . implode("\n", $alerts);

    $slackWebhook = 'https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/SLACK/WEBHOOK';
    $payload = json_encode(['text' => $message]);

    $context = stream_context_create([
        'http' => [
            'method' => 'POST',
            'header' => 'Content-Type: application/json',
            'content' => $payload
        ]
    ]);

    $result = file_get_contents($slackWebhook, false, $context);
    echo $result ? "Price alert sent to Slack\n" : "Failed to send alert\n";
} else {
    echo "No price drops detected\n";
}

Common Schedules

0 9 * * * Daily at 9 AM

Perfect for morning reports and daily checks

0 */6 * * * Every 6 hours

Regular monitoring and data collection

Quick Tips

Use Echo for Progress

Add echo statements to track your script's progress in the execution logs.

Test Locally First

Develop and test your scripts locally before scheduling them on CronPop.

Handle Errors Gracefully

Use try/catch blocks and provide meaningful error messages.

Common Issues

Script times out after 30 seconds:

  • Break it down: Split long-running tasks into smaller jobs
  • Reduce API calls: Batch requests when possible

Memory limit exceeded:

  • Process in batches: Instead of loading all data at once
  • Unset variables: Use unset() to free memory

🎉 You're Now Running PHP Scripts in the Cloud!

Congratulations! You've eliminated server management complexity and can now focus on writing great PHP code. Your scripts run reliably in a modern environment with built-in monitoring and error alerts.

🚀

Zero Server Setup

No SSH, no cron configuration, no hassle

💰

Pay Only When Used

No idle server costs or monthly fees

🔔

Instant Error Alerts

Know immediately when something goes wrong

📊

Detailed Monitoring

See exactly what your scripts are doing

Ready to Run Your PHP Scripts?

Start Free →

Get 100 free executions to try it out

Questions? We've Got Answers

How much does it cost to run scripts?

Free to start with 100 credits. Then just 1 credit per execution. A daily script costs 30 credits/month (~1€).

Can I use databases and APIs?

Yes! Full network access for database connections, API calls, and external services.

What if my script fails?

You'll get an instant email alert with the error details, and can see full execution logs in your dashboard.

How do I debug my scripts?

Use echo statements for output, check the execution logs, and test locally first. CronPop shows you exactly what happened.

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