Automating Imports & Exports with Server Cron Jobs – WP Import Export

Why Use Server Cron Jobs?

WordPress built-in wp-cron.php only runs when a visitor visits your website. For critical tasks like syncing product inventory every hour or exporting daily orders at midnight, setting up a real Linux / cPanel server cron job is strongly recommended for 100% reliability.

Obtaining Your Scheduling URL & Secret Key

Edit your saved Import or Export template.
Navigate to the Scheduling / Automation tab.

You will find your unique Trigger URL and Processing URL:

https://yourdomain.com/wp-load.php?import_key=YOUR_SECRET_KEY&import_id=12&action=trigger
https://yourdomain.com/wp-load.php?import_key=YOUR_SECRET_KEY&import_id=12&action=process

Configuring cPanel Cron Jobs

In your cPanel dashboard, search for Cron Jobs and add the following two commands:

1. Trigger Cron (Runs once per day or hour)

curl -s "https://yourdomain.com/wp-load.php?import_key=YOUR_KEY&import_id=12&action=trigger" > /dev/null 2>&1

2. Process Cron (Runs every 2 minutes until complete)

curl -s "https://yourdomain.com/wp-load.php?import_key=YOUR_KEY&import_id=12&action=process" > /dev/null 2>&1

Performance Tip: The process cron safely checks if the import has work remaining and shuts down automatically when all records have been imported.