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Run wp-cron on all public sites in a multisite network (REST API based).

"You could have done this with a simple cron job. Why use this plugin?"

I have a cluster of WordPress sites. I did run a shell script calling wp cli, but the race condition was a problem. I needed a way to run wp-cron on all sites without overlapping. This plugin was created to solve that problem.

1. Downloadall-sites-cron.zip
2. Upload viaNetwork > Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
3. Network Activate the plugin.
4. Disable WordPress default cron inwp-config.php:

   define('DISABLE_WP_CRON',true );

Also available via Composer:

composer require soderlind/all-sites-cron

Updates

• Pluginupdates are handled automatically via GitHub. No need to manually download and install updates.

The plugin exposes a REST API route that triggers cron across your network.

JSON usage:

https://example.com/wp-json/all-sites-cron/v1/run

GitHub Actions plain text (add?ga=1):

https://example.com/wp-json/all-sites-cron/v1/run?ga=1

Deferred mode (add?defer=1 - responds immediately, processes in background):

https://example.com/wp-json/all-sites-cron/v1/run?defer=1

🚀 Redis Queue Support: If Redis is available, deferred mode automatically uses Redis for job queuing (more reliable and scalable). SeeRedis Queue documentation orQuick Start.

Combine parameters (GitHub Actions + Deferred):

https://example.com/wp-json/all-sites-cron/v1/run?ga=1&defer=1

Adding?ga=1 outputs results in GitHub Actions compatible format:

• Success:::notice::Running wp-cron on X sites
• Error:::error::Error message

Example GitHub Action success notice

1. (Preferred) Use a service like cron-job.org, pingdom.com, or easycron.com to call the endpoint every 5 minutes.

2. System Crontab (every 5 minutes):

*/5**** curl -s https://example.com/wp-json/all-sites-cron/v1/run

3. GitHub Actions every 5 minutes. (5 minutes is theshortest interval in GitHub Actions):

name:All Sites Cron Jobon:schedule:    -cron:'*/5 * * * *'env:CRON_ENDPOINT:'https://example.com/wp-json/all-sites-cron/v1/run?ga=1&defer=1'jobs:trigger_cron:runs-on:ubuntu-latesttimeout-minutes:5steps:      -run:|          curl -X GET ${{ env.CRON_ENDPOINT }} \            --connect-timeout 10 \            --max-time 30 \            --retry 3 \            --retry-delay 5 \            --silent \            --show-error \            --fail

Note: Usingdefer=1 is recommended for GitHub Actions to prevent timeout errors on large networks.

Below is a complete list of filters provided by the plugin (including Redis + legacy aliases) that let you tune execution, performance, and infrastructure behavior.

Notes:

• https_local_ssl_verify is aWordPress core filter, not defined by this plugin; we simply honor it when dispatching non‑blocking HTTP requests. See core docs for broader usage.
• Legacydss_cron_* filters are still applied first internally (for backward compatibility) via theget_filter() helper, then the newerall_sites_cron_* version. Migrate to the new names; legacy ones will be removed in a future major release.

Rate limiting:

add_filter('all_sites_cron_rate_limit_seconds',fn($seconds ) =>120 );// 2 minutes between runs

Limit total sites:

add_filter('all_sites_cron_number_of_sites',fn($max ) =>500 );// Cap total processed sites

Batch size:

add_filter('all_sites_cron_batch_size',fn($batch ) =>25 );// Smaller batches to reduce memory

Request timeout:

add_filter('all_sites_cron_request_timeout',fn($timeout ) =>0.05 );// 50ms per site dispatch

Force Redis (or disable):

add_filter('all_sites_cron_use_redis_queue',fn($use ) =>true );

Redis connection:

add_filter('all_sites_cron_redis_host',fn() =>'redis.internal' );add_filter('all_sites_cron_redis_port',fn() =>6380 );add_filter('all_sites_cron_redis_db',fn() =>2 );

Custom queue key:

add_filter('all_sites_cron_redis_queue_key',fn() =>'network_cron:jobs' );

Enable SSL verification (core filter):

add_filter('https_local_ssl_verify','__return_true' );

Large Network Configuration (1000+ sites):

// Process more sites in smaller batchesadd_filter('all_sites_cron_number_of_sites',fn() =>2000 );add_filter('all_sites_cron_batch_size',fn() =>25 );add_filter('all_sites_cron_rate_limit_seconds',fn() =>180 );// 3 minutes

Small Network Configuration (< 100 sites):

// Faster processing with larger batchesadd_filter('all_sites_cron_batch_size',fn() =>100 );add_filter('all_sites_cron_rate_limit_seconds',fn() =>30 );// 30 seconds

Development/Testing Configuration:

// More aggressive settings for testingadd_filter('all_sites_cron_rate_limit_seconds',fn() =>10 );// 10 secondsadd_filter('all_sites_cron_batch_size',fn() =>5 );add_filter('all_sites_cron_request_timeout',fn() =>0.1 );

Legacy aliases still applied (old → new):

Migration tip:

// Old:add_filter('dss_cron_number_of_sites',fn() =>300 );// New:add_filter('all_sites_cron_number_of_sites',fn() =>300 );

All filter callbacks receive the current value as the first parameter. You canmodify relative to the incoming value instead of hard‑coding:

// Increase existing rate limit by 30 seconds (but cap at 300):add_filter('all_sites_cron_rate_limit_seconds',fn($seconds ) =>min($seconds +30,300 ) );// Halve the batch size dynamically (never less than 10):add_filter('all_sites_cron_batch_size',fn($batch ) =>max(10, (int)floor($batch /2 ) ) );// Scale the max sites based on environment variable:add_filter('all_sites_cron_number_of_sites',fn($current ) =>getenv('ASC_MAX_SITES' ) ? (int)getenv('ASC_MAX_SITES' ) :$current );// Add a safety floor for the request timeout (never below 0.01):add_filter('all_sites_cron_request_timeout',fn($timeout ) =>max(0.01,$timeout ) );// Dynamically choose Redis queue key per environment (prefix existing):add_filter('all_sites_cron_redis_queue_key',fn($key ) =>'prod_' .$key );

If called again before the cooldown finishes the API returns HTTP 429 with JSON:

{"success":false,"error":"rate_limited","message":"Rate limited. Try again in 37 seconds.","retry_after":37,"cooldown":60,"last_run_gmt":1696071234,"timestamp":"2025-09-30 12:35:23"}

Headers include:Retry-After: <seconds>.

• No rewrite rules to flush: activation is simpler and avoids edge cases with 404s or delayed availability.
• No unexpected 301 canonical/trailing‑slash redirects: direct, cache‑friendly 200 responses.
• Versioned, discoverable endpoint (/wp-json/all-sites-cron/v1/run) integrates with the WP REST index and tooling.
• Consistent structured JSON by default plus optional GitHub Actions text via?ga=1.
• Proper HTTP status codes (e.g. 429 for rate limiting, 400 for invalid context) instead of a blanket 200.
• Easy extensibility: future endpoints (status, logs, defer mode, auth) can be added under the same namespace without new rewrites.
• Reduced theme / front‑end interference: bypasses template loading and front‑end filters tied totemplate_redirect.
• Better compatibility with CDNs and monitoring: REST semantics and headers are predictable and cache‑aware.
• Straightforward integration in external systems (CI/CD, orchestration) that already speak JSON.
• Built‑in argument handling and potential for schema/permission hardening viapermission_callback.
• Clean separation of concerns: routing (REST) vs. execution logic (cron dispatcher) improves maintainability.
• Clear place to implement enhancements (rate limiting, future defer/background mode, auth tokens, metrics) with minimal risk.
• Easier automated testing using WP REST API test utilities (no need to simulate front‑end rewrite resolution).
• Avoids canonical redirect filter hacks previously needed to suppress 301s on/dss-cron.
• Safer for multi‑environment deployments (no dependency on rewrite flush timing during deploy pipelines).

All Sites Cron is copyright 2024 Per Soderlind

All Sites Cron is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

All Sites Cron is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with the Extension. If not, seehttp://www.gnu.org/licenses/.

The plugin was renamed from "DSS Cron" (slug:dss-cron) to "All Sites Cron" (slug:all-sites-cron). The old REST namespacedss-cron/v1 is still registered for backward compatibility, but you should migrate your automation scripts to useall-sites-cron/v1. Legacy WordPress filters likedss_cron_number_of_sites continue to work; new code should use theall_sites_cron_* equivalents.