/5 * * * — what this cron expression means

The cron expression */5 * * * * runs every 5 minutes, all day, every day. Here is the field-by-field breakdown and what it means in plain English.

Cron expression (minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week)

What /5 * * * means

It runs every 5 minutes, all day, every day.

minute=*/5 (a step: every 5th minute → 0,5,10,…,55), hour/day/month/day-of-week all * (every).

*/5 means "starting at 0, every 5 units". So the job fires at :00, :05, :10 and so on — 12 times an hour, 288 times a day.

Next runs: the next minute that is a multiple of 5 (:00, :05, :10 …).

It runs every 5 minutes, continuously. The */5 in the minute field is a step value meaning 0,5,10,…,55.

Effectively yes for minutes — both start at 0 and step by 5. */5 is the portable, widely-supported form; prefer it.