Setup Vercel Cron Jobs

---
description: Create and test scheduled tasks in Next.js
---

1. **Create Cron Config**:
- Add crons to vercel.json.

{
     "crons": [
       {
         "path": "/api/cron/daily-report",
         "schedule": "0 10 * * *"
       }
     ]
   }

2. **Create API Route**:
- Create the endpoint at src/app/api/cron/daily-report/route.ts.

import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
   
   export async function GET(request: Request) {
     // Verify the request is from Vercel Cron
     const authHeader = request.headers.get('authorization');
     if (authHeader !== Bearer ${process.env.CRON_SECRET}) {
       return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 });
     }
     
     // Your cron job logic here
     console.log('Daily report cron executed');
     
     return NextResponse.json({ success: true });
   }

3. **Set Environment Variable**:
- Add CRON_SECRET to your .env.local and Vercel project settings.
- Generate a secure random string: openssl rand -base64 32

4. **Pro Tips**:
- Vercel sends an Authorization: Bearer <token> header with cron requests.
- Test locally by manually calling the endpoint with the correct header.
- Cron expressions use UTC timezone.