WordPress cron not running: Tasks fail without visitor traffic
WP-Cron only operates when a page is loaded, leading to task failures on low-traffic sites. Understand the implications for automation.
WP-Cron is one of the most misunderstood components in WordPress. Unlike a real cron, it only runs when a page is loaded. This leads to silent failures in automation on low-traffic sites. When WP-Cron is disabled without a server cron replacement, scheduled tasks never run, often going unnoticed for months.