WordPress WP-Cron relies on site visits to trigger scheduled tasks, which can be unreliable for low-traffic sites. You can disable WP-Cron and use your server’s cron system for more consistent task execution.
What You’ll Learn
- How to disable WP-Cron for MainWP
- How to set up server cron jobs
- Cron commands for each extension
Prerequisites
- Access to your server’s cron system (cPanel, Plesk, or SSH)
- Knowledge of your WordPress installation path
- PHP binary location on your server
Disable WP-Cron
Once you disable WP-Cron via MainWP > Settings > Advanced Settings, MainWP removes its schedules and you’ll need to set up manual cron jobs through your hosting provider.
Need help setting up cron jobs? Check your hosting provider’s documentation for cPanel or Plesk.
Commands to Use in Crontab
Two command options are available:
Preferred method (direct PHP call - eliminates HTTP timeout issues):
/usr/bin/php /path/to/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mainwp/cron/FILE > /dev/null 2>&1
wget -O /dev/null http://example.com/wp-content/plugins/mainwp/cron/FILE > /dev/null 2>&1
FILE with the specific cron file for each job listed below.
Cron Jobs by Extension
Core
Domain Monitor
Lighthouse
Maintenance
Post Dripper
Pro Reports
Sucuri
SSL Monitor
Vulnerability Checker
MainWP Dashboard Core
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Check for available updates | Every minute | updatescheck.php |
| Ping child sites | Daily | pingchilds.php |
| Check sites status | Every minute | checkstatuschilds.php |
| Check sites health | Hourly | sitehealthmonitoring.php |
| Reconnect sites | Hourly | stats.php |
# Check for updates every minute
* * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp/cron/updatescheck.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Ping child sites daily at midnight
0 0 * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp/cron/pingchilds.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Check sites status every minute
* * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp/cron/checkstatuschilds.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Check sites health hourly
0 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp/cron/sitehealthmonitoring.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Reconnect sites hourly
0 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp/cron/stats.php > /dev/null 2>&1
Domain Monitor Extension
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Check domains | Daily/Weekly/Bi-monthly/Monthly | domain_monitor_cron_start.php |
| Send notifications | Daily | domain_monitor_cron_alert.php |
# Check domains daily at 2 AM
0 2 * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-domain-monitor-extension/cron/domain_monitor_cron_start.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Send notifications daily at 8 AM
0 8 * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-domain-monitor-extension/cron/domain_monitor_cron_alert.php > /dev/null 2>&1
Lighthouse Extension
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Audit sites | Daily/Weekly/Bi-monthly/Monthly | lighthouse_cron_start.php |
| Continue audits | Every 5 minutes | lighthouse_cron_sync.php |
| Send notifications | Configurable | lighthouse_cron.php |
# Start audits daily at 3 AM
0 3 * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-lighthouse-extension/cron/lighthouse_cron_start.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Continue audits every 5 minutes
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-lighthouse-extension/cron/lighthouse_cron_sync.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Send notifications daily at 9 AM
0 9 * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-lighthouse-extension/cron/lighthouse_cron.php > /dev/null 2>&1
Maintenance Extension
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Start maintenance | Hourly | cron_job_start.php |
| Continue maintenance | Every minute | cron_job_continue.php |
# Start maintenance hourly
0 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-maintenance-extension/cron/cron_job_start.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Continue maintenance every minute
* * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-maintenance-extension/cron/cron_job_continue.php > /dev/null 2>&1
Post Dripper Extension
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Drip articles | Hourly | post_dripper.php |
# Drip articles hourly
0 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-post-dripper-extension/cron/post_dripper.php > /dev/null 2>&1
Pro Reports Extension
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Send notifications | Hourly | notice_reports.php |
| Send reports | Every 5 minutes | send_reports.php |
| Continue reports | Every minute | continue_reports.php |
# Send notifications hourly
0 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-pro-reports-extension/cron/notice_reports.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Send reports every 5 minutes
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-pro-reports-extension/cron/send_reports.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Continue reports every minute
* * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-pro-reports-extension/cron/continue_reports.php > /dev/null 2>&1
Sucuri Extension
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Send notifications | Daily | securityscan_notification.php |
# Send security scan notifications daily at 7 AM
0 7 * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-sucuri-extension/cron/securityscan_notification.php > /dev/null 2>&1
SSL Monitor Extension
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Start monitor | Daily | ssl_monitor_cron_start.php |
| Continue monitor | Every 5 minutes | ssl_monitor_cron_continue_run.php |
# Start SSL monitoring daily at 4 AM
0 4 * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-ssl-monitor-extension/cron/ssl_monitor_cron_start.php > /dev/null 2>&1
# Continue monitoring every 5 minutes
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-ssl-monitor-extension/cron/ssl_monitor_cron_continue_run.php > /dev/null 2>&1
Vulnerability Checker Extension
| Task | Frequency | File |
|---|
| Check vulnerabilities | Every 10 minutes | vulnercheck.php |
# Check vulnerabilities every 10 minutes
*/10 * * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/wp-content/plugins/mainwp-vulnerability-checker-extension/cron/vulnercheck.php > /dev/null 2>&1
Replace /path/to/ with your actual WordPress installation path. The PHP binary location (/usr/bin/php) may also vary depending on your server configuration.
Self-Check Checklist
