Manage jobs better with a Cron To Go Heroku CLI Plugin boost, & container-based app support

We’ve been hard at work improving the Cron To Go experience, thanks to our valued customers’ feedback!

With the latest updates to our Heroku CLI plugin, as well as better support for container-based apps, managing your scheduled jobs is now smoother than ever. 

  1. As of October, 2024, you can update existing jobs from a manifest file while retaining valuable execution history—making Cron To Go’s job management functionality even more convenient. This update is useful for managing jobs in new environments and for updating existing jobs without the risk of losing execution history.
  2. In addition, container-based apps can now specify custom process types for one-off dynos, offering more control over job execution. Let's take a closer look!

What does this mean for you?

1. Enhanced job importing—you can update existing jobs

  • Import jobs without losing execution history: Previously, in CI/CD processes, importing jobs meant deleting existing ones, which meant losing all that vital performance data.
  • Export jobs with IDs: You can now export jobs with their IDs, and then use those IDs for identification during updates.
  • Update existing jobs: When you import a manifest file containing job IDs, those jobs will be updated instead of replaced, so you retain their historical execution data.

2. Support for container-based apps

When working with container-based apps, you can now specify a custom process type for your one-off dynos, such as web, worker, orrelease —meaning way more flexibility for managing jobs in these environments.

The process type field is only available for container-based apps and won’t be visible for non-container apps.

Read more about container-based apps here.

What are the benefits?

Key benefits of the CLI plugin improvements

  • Retain execution history: Update existing jobs without losing vital execution data, for insights into job performance over time.
  • Streamlined job management: Enjoy smoother interactions with your scheduled jobs, meaning less time and effort.
  • Seamless integration: The CLI plugin works with your Heroku app, for job management directly from your terminal.

Key benefits of container-based app-support

  • Flexible process management: With the ability to specify a custom process type for one-off dynos in container-based apps, you can better manage tasks like background processing (worker), web requests (web), or releases (release) based on their application needs.
  • Optimized resource allocation: By assigning different process types, you can ensure that jobs are executed using the right resources, reducing unnecessary overhead and bumping up performance.
  • Better compatibility with container workflows: This feature makes it easier for users to integrate Cron To Go into CI/CD pipelines and other container-native operations.

Getting started

1. CLI plugin boost

To take advantage of the updated CLI feature, ensure you have the latest version of the Cron To Go CLI plugin installed. You can then manage your jobs directly from the command line with the following commands:

  • To export jobs with IDs:
heroku cron:jobs:export FILENAME --with-id
  • To import jobs and update existing ones: 
heroku cron:jobs:import FILENAME
  • For detailed instructions on using the CLI plugin effectively, please refer to our Documentation.

2. Container-based app support

Take note that the process type field is only available for container-based apps and won’t be visible for non-container apps.

To make use of this feature:

    • Make sure to specify the correct process type : (e.g., web, worker, release) when managing jobs.
    • Refer to the container registry documentation for more information.

We value your feedback

We appreciate your insights and ideas, and they’re a big part of our continued innovation on Cron To Go. With your help, we’ve been building new features like there’s no tomorrow—including:

So, we encourage you to share your experiences, suggestions, or any questions about the new CLI plugin and container-based app support features through our in-app chat. 

Help us make Cron To Go better, to better serve your needs.

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