Frequently Asked Questions

What does Cronix actually do?

Chronix is like a reliable, automated personal assistant for your digital tasks. It takes those repetitive, time-consuming chores—like updating records, running reports, or talking to other online tools—and does them for you automatically. You just tell it what to do and when you want it done, and Chronix works quietly in the background to make sure everything stays accurate and on schedule. It’s designed to be simple and self-contained, so it doesn't need a team of experts to keep it running, and it can even handle tasks across different offices or home networks without any complicated setup.

How does 'Integrated Persistence' work?

Chronix features a built-in, high-performance persistence engine that manages all system state and execution history. This eliminates the need for external databases like PostgreSQL or Redis. It uses write-ahead logging (WAL) for thread-safe state management, ensuring your data is always consistent and easily portable—backups are as simple as copying a directory.

Is it really just a single binary?

Yes. Chronix is distributed as a single, statically-linked binary for Linux, macOS, and Windows. This binary includes the server engine, the integrated persistence layer, and the full React-based web dashboard. There are no external dependencies, libraries, or runtimes to install.

What does 'Sovereign Infrastructure' or 'Total Sovereignty' actually mean?

Total Sovereignty means you have complete control over your automation infrastructure and data. Because Chronix is self-contained and doesn't require cloud-based components or external databases, it can run entirely within your own network—even in air-gapped environments. Your data never leaves your infrastructure unless you explicitly configure it to.

Can the Chronix Agent work behind strict firewalls?

Absolutely. The Chronix Agent is designed for secure, outbound-only communication. It connects back to the Chronix Server via a secure websocket, meaning you don't need to open any inbound ports on the systems being managed. As long as the agent can reach the server, it can execute tasks.

What kind of tasks can Chronix automate?

Chronix supports a wide range of tasks, including SQL execution (SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL), Shell scripting (local and remote via SSH), and Web tasks (HTTP requests with JSONPath capture). You can even pipe results from one task into the next for complex workflows, or use it as a reporting tool to send task output via email or SMS.

How is security handled?

Security is baked in from the start. We use Ed25519-signed JWTs for agent identity and Trust-On-First-Use (TOFU) pinning. All stored credentials (like SSH keys or database passwords) are encrypted using a master key that never leaves the server.

Can Chronix be used as a reporting tool?

Yes! Chronix has evolved from a scheduled task tool into a comprehensive reporting platform. You can configure jobs to send their full output directly to you via email or SMS on a regular schedule, whether it's a summary of a database query, the result of a shell script, or data from a web task.

Does Chronix support standard Cron expressions?

Yes, Chronix supports standard 5-field Cron expressions. In addition, it offers human-friendly scheduling rules like "Last Friday of the month" and advanced concurrency controls to prevent overlapping task runs.

What platforms are supported?

Chronix binaries are available for Linux (x86_64, ARM64), macOS (Intel, Apple Silicon), and Windows. The agent can run on any platform that supports a compatible binary, making it ideal for heterogeneous environments.

Is Chronix open source?

Yes. Chronix, the public website, and Chronix Crucible are fully open source. There are no paid editions, license keys, subscriptions, or feature gates.

How does SMS alerting work?

SMS alerting is included in the open-source app. Chronix supports major providers including Twilio, Plivo, and Telnyx. Users provide their own service account and credentials for their chosen provider, and any SMS transmission fees are paid directly to that provider.

How can I contribute?

Use GitHub issues for bugs and feature requests, and open pull requests for code or documentation changes. Chronix Crucible is the public validation suite for release and scenario testing.

Still have questions?

We're here to help. Reach out to our team for more information about Chronix.