WordPress’ native cron system
WordPress by default uses a system called WP-Cron to execute scheduled tasks. WP-Cron is not a real scheduled cron system; it only executes tasks when a page is rendered. This means that a task that is scheduled to run every minute may not run for hours if no one visits your website. The visitor could then experience a slow page load due to all of the built-up cron tasks running. Alternatively, if you get lots of traffic, having WP-Cron execute every page load can also cause performance issues.
There are also potential WP-Cron problems with features like scheduled and expiring ads, advanced page caching configuration, and more.
WP-Cron alternatives
If you’d like to avoid these potential issues, we recommend switching to a system cron job.
If you are using a host like WP Engine, they may offer their own alternative cron configuration.
Contact your hosting provider to learn the best way to set up a scheduled task in your environment.
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