Files and scheduled tasks

This guide covers two tabs on the Dedicated Container page, File manager and Scheduled tasks. It explains how to upload, edit, compress and extract files, and how to run commands on a schedule inside the container.

#File manager

Open the container page and switch to the File manager tab. The file manager's root / is the container's site and application directory, /var/www/html. You can browse and change only this directory and its subdirectories.

#Browsing and editing

• Click a directory name to open it. Use the breadcrumb path at the top to go back up.
• The list shows Name, Size, modification time and Permissions.
• Click the More (⋯) button next to a file for these actions:

#Creating, uploading and remote download

The toolbar has these buttons:

• Upload: upload a local file into the current directory.
• Remote download: enter a Download URL, such as https://example.com/file.zip, and a Save filename name. The server downloads the file straight into the current directory. The download runs in the background with a progress indicator, and "Remote download complete" appears when it finishes.
• Create: choose a type (file or directory) and enter a name.
• Refresh: reload the current directory.

Compression and extraction also run in the background. You'll see "Compression complete" or "Extraction complete" when they finish.

#File permissions

Apps and scheduled cron jobs run as the container's www user. If you run into permission problems, click Fix permissions under Quick actions on the Overview tab. This resets the owner and permissions of /var/www/html.

#Scheduled tasks (cron)

The Scheduled tasks tab runs commands inside the container on a cron schedule. Typical uses are running the Laravel scheduler, clearing caches or taking periodic backups.

#Creating a scheduled task

1. Switch to the Scheduled tasks tab and click Create task.

2. Fill in the form:

   Field	Description
   Task name	A name that helps you recognise the task, e.g. backup_database
   Schedule	A standard 5-field cron expression: minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week, e.g. */5 * * * *. Use Quick select to pick a common preset
   Command	The command to run. Use absolute paths, e.g. /usr/bin/php /var/www/html/artisan schedule:run
   Run as user	The user that runs the command
   Description	Optional notes

3. Save. The task then appears in the list.

#Cron expressions

An expression has five fields with these ranges:

Common examples:

* * * * *      every minute
*/5 * * * *    every 5 minutes
0 * * * *      at the top of every hour
0 0 * * *      every day at 00:00
0 12 * * *     every day at 12:00
0 0 * * 1      every Monday at 00:00
0 0 1 * *      on the 1st of every month at 00:00

#Managing tasks

The list shows Schedule, Command, Run as user and Status. Each row has these controls:

• Status switch: enable or disable the task.
• Run now (the play icon): run the command once right away and show its output. This is useful for debugging.
• Edit: change the schedule, command and other fields.
• Delete: delete the task after you confirm.

#Writing good commands

• Scheduled runs use the container's www user, so that user must be able to read and write the files your command uses.
• Don't put single quotes (') in the command. For complex logic, put the commands in a script such as /var/www/html/cron.sh and have the task run sh /var/www/html/cron.sh.
• To keep a record of each run, redirect the output yourself, e.g. ... >> /var/www/html/storage/cron.log 2>&1.

#About the web terminal

The container page also has a Web terminal tab.