How can I set up a CRON job using Windows Azure?

Question

Is there a way to use the windows scheduled task to kick off a url or a exe on a schedule?

Can I write a program as an exe then create a Azure VM then RDP into the Azure VM and hook it up to windows task scheduler?

Barrack

Answer 1

Things got much easier lately, please see this link https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/scheduler/ to create a scheduled job in the new Azure Scheduler. There is a basic Free tier as well as some paid options but I think this is exactly what many of us were looking for. It is an excellent solution for triggering URLs with GET,POST,PUT,DELETE requests.

Just follow the simple instructions. Starting by selecting "Scheduler" from the Azure dashboard app menu:

Brahe

Thanks Milan and Microsoft for finally adding this feature. – Barrack

Starting September 30th 2019, Azure Logic Apps is replacing Azure Scheduler. – Malachy

Answer 2

Azure does have a scheduler now.

It allows invoking a Web Service over HTTP/s and post a message to a Windows Azure Storage Queue. It's very new but it can be free if you do not need the scheduler to be executed often. Otherwise it's a small monthly fee which come with scheduled task that can be up to every minute.

Baker

Answer 3

Today the scheduler has been Azure Logic Apps: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/logic-apps/logic-apps-overview

If you are looking for something like a cron job (which is a job, that is being run at specific time again and again), then check out Azure Functions: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-functions/functions-overview

Teran

Answer 4

Google Azure Storage Queues. They allow you to schedule jobs that will run at a later date. You can even specify when the job should run.

Clear

Will this work if i need to run a job one time per minute, all day, every day? – Barrack

yes. Even if a machine fails during the execution of a job, another machine will pick up the job for you in the background. A job however may run more than twice if hardware fails, so it is your job to make the task idempotant. – Clear

Ryan, How do I schedule a job. Just Went Through documentation at: msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd179363.aspx I did not see a way to do something every minute. – Barrack