How to Use systemd Timers Instead of Cron

Systemd timers are a modern alternative to cron for scheduling tasks.

Create a Service Unit

Create /etc/systemd/system/mybackup.service:

[Unit]
Description=My Backup Script

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/backup.sh

Create a Timer Unit

Create /etc/systemd/system/mybackup.timer:

[Unit]
Description=Run backup daily

[Timer]
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

Enable the Timer

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable --now mybackup.timer

Check Timer Status

systemctl list-timers
systemctl status mybackup.timer