Architecture guide

Move scheduled tasks off EasyCron onto a runner you own

Hosted cron is a timer in someone else's account. This guide maps EasyCron jobs onto NexusCron: process layout, Docker Compose, and the cost of $20–$50 a month versus a VPS you already pay for.

Self-hosted NexusCron architecture on a VPS

EasyCron (and similar SaaS) stores your schedule, secrets, and run history off-box. NexusCron is a small HTTP scheduler you run next to the apps it pings. One SQLite file, one Compose service, one lifetime license.

Need the cutover checklist? Use the EasyCron migration walkthrough.

Architecture

01
Your apps
The HTTPS routes EasyCron already hits. They stay where they are.
02
NexusCron
Compose service on 127.0.0.1:8787. Cron expressions, retries, and history in /data.
03
Host + backups
The VPS you already run. Back up the volume with the rest of the box.

Docker Compose

Bind the UI to localhost. Match TZ to the EasyCron timezone so expressions fire at the same hour.

services:
  nexuscron:
    image: nexuscron:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8787:8787"
    environment:
      TZ: Europe/Madrid
      NEXUSCRON_DATA: /data
      NEXUS_TELEMETRY: "off"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
      - ./nexuscron.env:/run/secrets/env:ro

curl -sS -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8787/api/jobs \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "easycron-invoice-reminders",
    "cron": "0 8 * * 1-5",
    "method": "POST",
    "url": "https://billing.internal/jobs/remind",
    "timeout_ms": 15000
  }'

$20–$50 a month vs a VPS you already run

Horizon	Hosted cron	NexusCron
Month 1	$20–$50	$94.99 once
Year 1	$240–$600	$94.99
Year 3	$720–$1,800	$94.99
Secrets & logs	Vendor account	Your disk

If the VPS is already in the budget, the only new cost is the license. Hosted cron keeps billing after the work is done.

NexusCron

Own the scheduler after one payment

$94.99lifetime, self-hosted

NexusCron source and Docker image
SQLite job store on your disk
HTTP GET/POST jobs with headers and timeouts
No monthly cron bill

Get NexusCron Lifetime ($94.99)

Checkout stays on Whop. You get the source after payment.

Questions people ask before they switch

Do I need a new VPS just for NexusCron?

No. Run it as a Compose service on a box you already keep up. A 1 GB VPS is enough for HTTP ping jobs.

How does this compare to paying EasyCron every month?

Hosted cron at $20–$50/month is $240–$600 a year. NexusCron is $94.99 once. After a few months, the subscription has already cost more.

Will my existing HTTPS endpoints still work?

Yes. Recreate each EasyCron job with the same URL, method, and headers. The app that receives the ping does not change.

Where do secrets live?

In an env file on the host, mounted read-only. They never sit in a vendor account.

Keep reading

Guide

Move scheduled tasks off EasyCron onto a runner you own

Architecture

Your apps

NexusCron

Host + backups

Docker Compose

$20–$50 a month vs a VPS you already run

Own the scheduler after one payment

Questions people ask before they switch

Keep reading

Self-hosted cron alternative

EasyCron and cron-job.org alternative

Migrate off EasyCron to a self-hosted runner

Migrate cron jobs off cloud providers to self-hosted

Replace cloud cron services with self-hosted NexusCron

Self-hosted webhook router

Replace cloud webhook services with self-hosted Webhook Router

Replace cloud webhook queues with local SQLite routing

Self-hosted pipeline setup

Self-hosted admin dashboard setup

Self-hosted log stream setup

Self-hosted env sync setup

Self-hosted API proxy setup