Function of /etc/cron.hourly

Question

If I create a script and then place it in this folder (/etc/cron.hourly), will my system run this script hourly? Or does my script need to begin with a command as well?

Answer 1

Yep, you got it.

Just start it with a #!/bin/bash like you normally would. And make sure you sudo chmod +x /etc/cron.hourly/yourscript because it won't run without execute permissions.

Answer 2

Anything in /etc/cron.hourly will be executed hourly, just like anything in /etc/cron.daily will be run once a day.

Make sure the file is executable, and start it with #!/bin/bash or #!/usr/bin/python (or #!/usr/bin/env python) or whatever is appropriate for the type of script you'll be running.