# Monitor Kubernetes CronJobs > Source: > Published: 2026-05-27 00:00:00+00:00 This guide shows you how to monitor Kubernetes CronJobs with the SigNoz `k8s-infra` OpenTelemetry collection agent. Prerequisites `k8s-infra` is already installed in your cluster. If you have not installed it yet, follow[Install K8s Infra](https://signoz.io/docs/opentelemetry-collection-agents/k8s/k8s-infra/install-k8s-infra/).- You have `kubectl` access to the cluster where your CronJobs run. - You have a SigNoz backend available to receive telemetry. If you already have CronJobs running in your cluster, you can skip **Step 1** and **Step 2** and go directly to ** Default telemetry from ** and `k8s-infra` **.** [Validate](#validate)Step 1. Create a CronJob Apply the following manifest to create a CronJob that runs every minute and writes logs to standard output: ``` apiVersion: v1 kind: Namespace metadata: name: batch-jobs --- apiVersion: batch/v1 kind: CronJob metadata: name: reporting-demo namespace: batch-jobs labels: app.kubernetes.io/name: reporting-demo spec: schedule: "*/1 * * * *" timeZone: "Etc/UTC" concurrencyPolicy: Forbid successfulJobsHistoryLimit: 3 failedJobsHistoryLimit: 1 jobTemplate: spec: template: metadata: labels: app.kubernetes.io/name: reporting-demo spec: restartPolicy: OnFailure containers: - name: reporter image: busybox:1.36 command: - /bin/sh - -c - | echo "cronjob=reporting-demo start=$(date -Iseconds)" sleep 5 echo "cronjob=reporting-demo finished=$(date -Iseconds)" ``` This example keeps the CronJob simple but still uses a few Kubernetes defaults that are useful for production: `timeZone` : Makes the schedule explicit instead of relying on the controller's local time zone`concurrencyPolicy: Forbid` : Prevents overlapping runs`successfulJobsHistoryLimit` and`failedJobsHistoryLimit` : Keeps recent execution history available for debugging Apply it: ``` kubectl apply -f cronjob-demo.yaml ``` Step 2. Wait for the first execution Check that Kubernetes creates a Job and a Pod for the CronJob: ``` kubectl -n batch-jobs get cronjob,jobs,pods ``` You should see: - The `reporting-demo` CronJob - A Job created from that CronJob - A completed Pod for that Job after the run finishes Want to see this CronJob in a single pre-built view? Skip to [Visualize with the prebuilt dashboard](#visualize-with-the-prebuilt-dashboard) once a few runs have completed. Default telemetry from `k8s-infra` No extra CronJob-specific Helm values are required for the default monitoring flow. If `k8s-infra` is already installed with metrics and logs collection enabled, it automatically collects CronJob pod logs and Kubernetes Job metrics when the CronJob runs. Default logs All logs emitted by CronJob pods are captured automatically in **Logs Explorer** with Kubernetes resource attributes such as: `k8s.namespace.name` `k8s.cronjob.name` `k8s.job.name` `k8s.pod.name` Use: `k8s.cronjob.name` to see all executions for one CronJob`k8s.job.name` to inspect one specific execution Default metrics In the validated `k8s-infra` setup for this guide, these CronJob-related Kubernetes metrics were emitted by default: `k8s.cronjob.active_jobs` `k8s.job.active_pods` `k8s.job.successful_pods` `k8s.job.failed_pods` `k8s.job.desired_successful_pods` `k8s.job.max_parallel_pods` These metrics come from the [OpenTelemetry k8sclusterreceiver](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/blob/main/receiver/k8sclusterreceiver/documentation.md). They are attached to Kubernetes Job resources, so `k8s.job.name` is the main dimension to use when you want to inspect one CronJob run in **Metrics Explorer**. Validate Validate logs in SigNoz Open **Logs Explorer** and filter with these resource attributes: `k8s.cluster.name = ` `k8s.namespace.name = batch-jobs` `k8s.cronjob.name = reporting-demo` Replace `` with the `clusterName` you set when you installed `k8s-infra` . You should see log lines from every run of the CronJob. Use `k8s.job.name` when you want to inspect one specific execution, because Kubernetes creates a new Job name for every schedule. Validate metrics in SigNoz Open **Metrics Explorer** and query one or more of these metrics: `k8s.job.active_pods` `k8s.job.successful_pods` `k8s.job.failed_pods` `k8s.job.desired_successful_pods` `k8s.job.max_parallel_pods` `k8s.cronjob.active_jobs` Filter with: `k8s.cluster.name = ` `k8s.namespace.name = batch-jobs` Replace `` with the `clusterName` you set when you installed `k8s-infra` . Group by `k8s.job.name` to see each CronJob execution separately. Visualize with the prebuilt dashboard [Visualize with the prebuilt dashboard](#visualize-with-the-prebuilt-dashboard) SigNoz publishes a prebuilt **Kubernetes CronJobs** dashboard that uses the same metrics this guide validates. It shows current Job state and recent Job runs in one view, with cluster, namespace, Job, and CronJob filters. - Dashboard reference page: [Kubernetes CronJobs Dashboard](https://signoz.io/docs/dashboards/dashboard-templates/kubernetes-cronjobs/) - Direct JSON: `k8s-infra-metrics/kubernetes-cronjobs.json` To use it, open **Dashboards** in SigNoz, click **New Dashboard**, choose **Import JSON**, and paste the JSON from the link above. Limit log collection to CronJob namespace (Optional) [Limit log collection to CronJob namespace (Optional)](#limit-log-collection-to-cronjob-namespace-optional) Prefer namespace-based filters for CronJobs. Pod names and Job names change on every run, so namespace rules are easier to maintain. Only collect logs from your CronJob namespace If you keep CronJobs in a dedicated namespace, enable a whitelist for that namespace: ``` presets: logsCollection: whitelist: enabled: true namespaces: - batch-jobs ``` Apply the updated values to your existing release: ``` helm upgrade signoz/k8s-infra -n -f override-values.yaml ``` Verify these values: `` : Your existing`k8s-infra` Helm release name`` : The namespace where`k8s-infra` is installed Exclude noisy namespaces from log collection If shared cluster namespaces create too much log noise, exclude them: ``` presets: logsCollection: blacklist: enabled: true namespaces: - kube-system - default ``` Apply the updated values to your existing release: ``` helm upgrade signoz/k8s-infra -n -f override-values.yaml ``` Verify these values: `` : Your existing`k8s-infra` Helm release name`` : The namespace where`k8s-infra` is installed Troubleshooting [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) I can see logs, but I do not see Job metrics Verify that the cluster-level `k8s-infra` collector deployment is running. The Job metrics in this guide came from the cluster-level collector, not from the node-level daemon. For example, check the `k8s-infra` namespace where you installed the chart: ``` kubectl get deployments -n kubectl get pods -n ``` You should see a running deployment such as `k8s-infra-k8s-cluster-otel-agent` with pods in `Running` status. If the deployment is missing, re-install `k8s-infra` by following [Install K8s Infra](https://signoz.io/docs/opentelemetry-collection-agents/k8s/k8s-infra/install-k8s-infra/). I can see Job metrics, but I do not see CronJob logs Check these points: `presets.logsCollection.enabled` is still enabled in your`k8s-infra` values- Your namespace is not excluded by a `logsCollection.blacklist` rule - The CronJob container writes logs to standard output or standard error My Job names keep changing on every run That is expected Kubernetes behavior. A CronJob creates a new Job for every scheduled execution. Use: `k8s.cronjob.name` in**Logs Explorer** to see all runs for one CronJob`k8s.job.name` in**Metrics Explorer** or**Logs Explorer** to inspect one specific execution Next steps [Use Logs Explorer](https://signoz.io/docs/product-features/logs-explorer/)to search CronJob executions across namespaces and filter by`k8s.cronjob.name` [Use Query Builder](https://signoz.io/docs/userguide/query-builder/)to group CronJob metrics by`k8s.job.name` and compare recent runs[Set up alerts](https://signoz.io/docs/setup-alerts-notification/)to notify on failed CronJob runs or missing expected executions