Laravel Cronjob Not Running on CyberPanel Server: Complete Troubleshooting & Fix Guide

[Henry]

Context

You have a Laravel app deployed on a CyberPanel-managed server and you’ve set up cronjobs to run Laravel’s scheduled commands (e.g., php artisan schedule:run), but the cronjobs don’t execute as expected.

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Why Laravel Cronjobs Might Not Run on CyberPanel

1. Incorrect cron command or environment path
   Laravel commands must be run with correct PHP executable and from the Laravel project root directory.
2. User permission issues
   Laravel Cronjobs must run as the correct user (usually the website owner user, not root).
3. Cron daemon not running or misconfigured
   The system cron service must be active and configured properly.
4. Wrong PHP version or path in cron command
   CyberPanel may have multiple PHP versions installed; cron must use the same PHP as your website.
5. No output or logging to check errors
   Silent failures because cron output is redirected to /dev/null.

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Step-by-Step Fix Guide

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Step 1: Confirm PHP path

• SSH into your server as the website owner or root.
• Run:

which php

• Or check the PHP version used by CyberPanel for your site at CyberPanel > Websites > List Websites > PHP version.
• Find the full path of PHP CLI matching that version. It may be something like:

/usr/local/lsws/lsphp74/bin/php

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Step 2: Write the correct cronjob command

Your Laravel app is usually at:

/home/yourdomain.com/public_html/

A correct cron entry for Laravel scheduler looks like:

* * * * * /usr/local/lsws/lsphp74/bin/php /home/yourdomain.com/public_html/artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

• Adjust PHP path /usr/local/lsws/lsphp74/bin/php to match your PHP version.
• Use full path to artisan.
• The schedule:run command triggers all scheduled tasks.

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Step 3: Add the cronjob for the correct user

• Login as your website user or root.
• Add the cronjob with:

crontab -e

• Paste the cronjob line from Step 2.
• Save and exit.

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Step 4: Check cron service status

• Ensure cron daemon is running:

systemctl status cron
# or
systemctl status crond

• If not running, start it:

sudo systemctl start cron

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Step 5: Verify Laravel schedule and commands

• Check app/Console/Kernel.php — make sure commands are registered in $commands array.
• Check the schedule() method schedules commands properly.
• Test the command manually:

/usr/local/lsws/lsphp74/bin/php /home/yourdomain.com/public_html/artisan schedule:run

It should run without error.

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Step 6: Debug cron output

To catch errors, modify the cronjob to log output:

* * * * * /usr/local/lsws/lsphp74/bin/php /home/yourdomain.com/public_html/artisan schedule:run >> /home/yourdomain.com/cron.log 2>&1

• Check cron.log to see errors or output.

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Step 7: Additional tips

• Ensure your .env file is correctly configured for production (APP_ENV, DB connections).
• If you use queue workers, ensure they are running separately (php artisan queue:work or use Supervisor).
• File permissions: the user running the cron must have permission to read/write Laravel files and execute PHP.
• Timezone: cron uses server time, verify it matches your Laravel timezone in config/app.php.

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Summary

Problem Cause	Solution Summary
Wrong PHP path	Use full path to PHP CLI matching your site’s PHP version
Cron run as wrong user	Add cronjob under correct website user
Cron service stopped	Start cron service with systemctl start cron
Laravel commands not registered	Check app/Console/Kernel.php for commands and schedule
Silent failures	Log cron output to file for debugging