How to Disable Wp-Cron and Replace It with A Real Cron Job

By on November 8th, 2018

How to Disable Wp-Cron and Replace It with A Real Cron Job

WordPress uses a workaround file called wp-cron.php as a virtual cron job or scheduled task for automating things like publishing scheduled posts, checking for WordPress plugins and theme updates, sending email notifications etc. WordPress setup a call to wp-cron.php every time someone loads your WordPress website. It checks if there is a scheduled task to be done and executes if necessary.

In some cases, the wp-cron.php file may become the target of DDOS attacks or it may interfere with the caching plugins which can cause a lot of server load or improper working of the scheduled task execution. So it is necessary to disable and replace this with a real cron job.

 

Linux Cron Job vs. WP-Cron

Linux cron jobs can be controlled by the user that allows you to run scheduled tasks on your web server. It is useful when a WordPress website is high a traffic, the Linux cron job can assists with reducing the chances of downtime by lowering the bandwidth of the server, thus using fewer server resources.

wp-cron.php as a virtual cron job that only works when the page is loaded. wp-cron is first loaded by WordPress when a website page is requested on the front end or backend which displaces the necessary page to the visitor.

 

Disable wp-cron.php

You can disable wp-cron by modifying the file wp-config.php inside the folder in which the WordPress is installed. Open wp-config file and add the following code

define(‘DISABLE_WP_CRON’, true);

 

Setting Real Cron Job

1) Login to cPanel.

2) Navigate to “Cron Jobs” under “Advanced” section.

Disable wp-cron

 

3) Add the following command to be executed every 30 minutes:

wget -q -O – http://yourdomain.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >/dev/null 2>&1

Replace yourdomain.com with your actual website name.

Cron Job

 

4) Click on the button “Add New Cron Job”.

 

If you need any further help, please do reach our support department.

 

 

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