cronbeats-php is a tool that helps you keep an eye on tasks your computer runs automatically. If you use scheduled tasks or background jobs on your Windows PC or server, this tool checks if they work as planned. It sends signals to show your jobs are alive, warns if something goes wrong, and helps you fix problems before they grow.
This tool works with PHP, a popular programming language. But you do not need to know any programming to use it. The setup guides you step-by-step.
Before you begin, make sure your computer has these:
- Windows 10 or later
- PHP version 7.4 or newer installed
- Internet connection to send alerts
- Basic user account with permission to install software
If you do not have PHP installed, you can get it from php.net. There are simple guides there to help with installation.
Follow these steps to get cronbeats-php running on your Windows machine.
Click the big badge button above or this link to visit the download page.
Once there:
- Look for the latest release or download section
- Download the ZIP file for cronbeats-php SDK
- Save the ZIP file to your computer, for example, in the Downloads folder
After downloading:
- Right-click the ZIP file
- Select "Extract All..."
- Choose a folder like
C:\cronbeats-phpfor easy access - Click "Extract"
You will need to run some commands:
- Press the Windows key and type
cmd - Click on "Command Prompt" to open it
- A black window will open where you can type commands
Type this command and press Enter:
cd C:\cronbeats-php
This moves you to the folder with the cronbeats files.
Type the following command to see if the tool works:
php cronbeats.php --help
You should see a list of commands and options. This means the program is ready.
cronbeats-php helps track your scheduled jobs like Windows Task Scheduler jobs or PHP scripts running regularly. It works by sending "heartbeat" signals that say "I'm working." If signals stop, it alerts you.
- Add a call to cronbeats in your scheduled script or task.
- Use a unique name or ID to identify each job.
- Check alerts on the dashboard or via email if you set that.
You do not need to install extra software for alerts. cronbeats-php can connect to alert services or send emails if you configure it.
If you have a script that runs a backup every night, add a line to send a heartbeat after it runs. This confirms the backup job completed successfully.
Edit your PHP scripts to include these lines after your scheduled task runs:
require 'path/to/cronbeats-php/autoload.php';
use Cronbeats\Client;
$client = new Client('your-api-key-here');
$client->sendHeartbeat('my-backup-job');Replace 'your-api-key-here' with the key from your cronbeats account and change 'my-backup-job' to the name of your scheduled job.
You can login to your cronbeats dashboard online to see if jobs are healthy or have missed their heartbeat.
- Download the ZIP
- Extract files
- Add
cronbeats.phpscript to your tasks or scripts - Get your API key from the cronbeats website
- Enter the API key in your PHP code as shown above
- Download the new release ZIP from the link above
- Extract again, overwriting old files
- Check your scripts work with the new version
- Restart any services using cronbeats if needed
If cronbeats-php does not work as expected, try this:
- Make sure PHP runs on your machine by typing
php -vin the Command Prompt. - Check the folder path where you extracted cronbeats-php.
- Verify your API key is correct and active.
- Confirm your scheduled tasks call the heartbeat script.
- Look at error messages for clues.
If tasks miss heartbeats, verify the scheduler settings, and that PHP scripts run without errors.
- Download cronbeats-php: https://github.com/Driedvr/cronbeats-php
- PHP downloads and info: https://www.php.net/downloads.php
- Windows Task Scheduler guide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/schedule-a-task-ec17448e-13d6-4a0b-bdf9-9d92b0e6f517
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