Cron Job Setup for Sync Commands

This guide explains how to set up automatic scheduling for your sync commands to run early morning and late night in GMT+3 timezone.

Overview

The following sync commands are now scheduled to run automatically:

• directorates:sync - Syncs directorates data from Africa CDC API
• divisions:sync - Syncs divisions data from Africa CDC API
• staff:sync - Syncs staff data from Africa CDC API

Schedule (GMT+3 / East Africa Time)

Early Morning Sync

• 6:00 AM - Directorates sync
• 6:05 AM - Divisions sync
• 6:10 AM - Staff sync

Late Night Sync

• 11:00 PM - Directorates sync
• 11:05 PM - Divisions sync
• 11:10 PM - Staff sync

Setup Instructions

1. Verify Laravel Scheduler is Working

The scheduler is already configured and working! You can verify it with:

# Test the schedule list
php artisan schedule:list

# Test a specific command
php artisan directorates:sync
php artisan divisions:sync
php artisan staff:sync

2. Set Up Cron Job

Add this cron job to your server's crontab to run the Laravel scheduler every minute:

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add this line (adjust the path to your Laravel project)
* * * * * cd /opt/homebrew/var/www/staff/apm && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

3. Alternative: Direct Cron Setup

If you prefer to set up cron jobs directly instead of using Laravel's scheduler:

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Early morning sync (6:00-6:10 AM GMT+3)
0 6 * * * cd /opt/homebrew/var/www/staff/apm && php artisan directorates:sync >> /var/log/sync-directorates.log 2>&1
5 6 * * * cd /opt/homebrew/var/www/staff/apm && php artisan divisions:sync >> /var/log/sync-divisions.log 2>&1
10 6 * * * cd /opt/homebrew/var/www/staff/apm && php artisan staff:sync >> /var/log/sync-staff.log 2>&1

# Late night sync (11:00-11:10 PM GMT+3)
0 23 * * * cd /opt/homebrew/var/www/staff/apm && php artisan directorates:sync >> /var/log/sync-directorates.log 2>&1
5 23 * * * cd /opt/homebrew/var/www/staff/apm && php artisan divisions:sync >> /var/log/sync-divisions.log 2>&1
10 23 * * * cd /opt/homebrew/var/www/staff/apm && php artisan staff:sync >> /var/log/sync-staff.log 2>&1

Features

Built-in Safety Features

• withoutOverlapping() - Prevents multiple instances from running simultaneously
• runInBackground() - Runs commands in background to avoid blocking
• onFailure() - Logs errors if commands fail
• Timezone Support - Automatically handles GMT+3 timezone

Logging

All sync operations are logged to Laravel's log files. Check logs at:

• storage/logs/laravel.log

Monitoring

You can monitor the scheduler with:

# View scheduled tasks
php artisan schedule:list

# Test the scheduler
php artisan schedule:test

# Run the scheduler manually
php artisan schedule:run

Troubleshooting

Check if Cron is Running

# Check cron service status
sudo systemctl status cron

# Check cron logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/cron.log

Test Commands Manually

# Test each command individually
php artisan directorates:sync
php artisan divisions:sync  
php artisan staff:sync

Check Laravel Logs

# View recent logs
tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log

Verify Timezone

The scheduler is set to Africa/Nairobi timezone (GMT+3). Verify your server timezone:

# Check server timezone
date
timedatectl

Security Notes

• Ensure your .env file has the correct API credentials
• The cron job runs as the user who owns the project
• Consider setting up log rotation for the sync logs
• Monitor disk space usage from logs

Support

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the Laravel logs first
2. Verify cron service is running
3. Test commands manually
4. Check server timezone settings
5. Ensure proper file permissions