cronjob
A cron job is a task that the server automatically executes at set times, for example, every night at three. Typical uses include backups, sending newsletters, cleaning up old data, or checking for updates.
WordPress includes its own version, WP-Cron. It has a drawback: it doesn't run on a schedule, but is triggered by page views. So, on a page with no visitors, nothing happens, and scheduled tasks remain undone. Conversely, on a page with many visitors, it is checked too frequently and slows things down.
The clean solution: Disable WP-Cron and set up a proper cron job on the server that calls the file at a fixed interval, usually every five or fifteen minutes. This ensures that tasks run reliably and independently of network traffic.
When choosing a hosting package, it's worth checking whether cron jobs are even allowed and what the minimum interval is. Cheaper plans often have limitations on this.
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