How to Schedule Cron Jobs in Firebase Cloud Functions (Without Paid Plans)

Firebase Cloud Functions are powerful, but scheduling background tasks can be tricky without a Blaze plan. Luckily, you can run cron jobs for free by combining Firebase with GitHub Actions or third-party schedulers. This article explains how to build a serverless function in Firebase and trigger it on a schedule without spending a dime.

Step 1: Create a Firebase Function

Inside your Firebase project, add a function in functions/index.js (or functions/src/index.ts if using TypeScript):

const functions = require("firebase-functions");

exports.scheduledTask = functions.https.onRequest((req, res) => {
  console.log("Scheduled function triggered");
  res.send("Function executed");
});

Step 2: Deploy Your Function

Make sure Firebase CLI is installed and authenticated:

firebase deploy --only functions

Once deployed, note the public HTTPS URL of the function. It will look something like:

https://[region]-[project-id].cloudfunctions.net/scheduledTask

Step 3: Schedule With GitHub Actions

Create a GitHub Actions workflow to run the task periodically:

# .github/workflows/firebase-cron.yml
name: Firebase Scheduled Trigger

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 9 * * *' # every day at 9am UTC

jobs:
  run-cron:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Trigger Firebase function
        run: curl https://[region]-[project-id].cloudfunctions.net/scheduledTask

Bonus: Use External Cron Services

Tools like cron-job.org, Upstash Scheduler, or EasyCron offer free cron job scheduling. Point their HTTP request to your Firebase function URL at the desired interval.

Pros and Cons

✅ Pros

• Totally free with Firebase's Spark plan
• No need for paid scheduling services
• Flexible triggers using GitHub or third-party tools

⚠️ Cons

• No native cron support without Blaze plan
• Delay possible depending on trigger service

🚀 Alternatives

• Firebase Scheduled Functions: Built-in but requires Blaze billing
• Trigger.dev: Self-hosted or cloud-based scheduling framework
• Cloudflare Workers with Cron Triggers: Native support and generous free tier

Conclusion

You don’t need a paid plan to run scheduled jobs on Firebase. By triggering your HTTPS functions through external tools, you can automate tasks efficiently and at no cost — great for background tasks, pings, data refreshes, and more.

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