---
title: 'Scheduling'
description: 'Learn how ParkMyAWS schedules work. Configure stop and start times, use templates, assign resources, and track cost savings.'
order: 3
icon: Timer
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---

# Scheduling

Schedules are the core of ParkMyAWS. They define when your resources should be stopped and started to maximize savings while keeping environments available when you need them.

## How Schedules Work

A schedule defines a recurring pattern of stop and start times for assigned resources. When the stop time is reached, ParkMyAWS stops all resources attached to that schedule. When the start time is reached, ParkMyAWS starts them back up.

- Schedules run in the timezone you configure — so "6 PM" means 6 PM in your local time
- Each resource can be assigned to one schedule at a time
- Schedules execute independently — one failing resource does not block others

## Schedule Templates

ParkMyAWS offers built-in templates to help you get started quickly:

### Business Hours

Resources run Monday–Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM. Stopped outside business hours and all weekend. This is the most popular template — it saves roughly 65% of compute costs for non-production environments.

### Overnight Only

Resources stop overnight (e.g., 10 PM to 6 AM) but run on weekends. Good for environments that need extended availability but don't need to run through the night.

### Weekend Off

Resources run during weekdays only and are stopped for the entire weekend. Ideal for environments that are only used during the work week.

## Creating a Schedule

To create a schedule:

1. Navigate to the **Schedules** page and click "Create Schedule"
2. Choose a template or configure custom stop/start times
3. Select the days of the week the schedule should be active
4. Set your timezone
5. Give the schedule a descriptive name (e.g., "Dev Environment — Business Hours")
6. Save the schedule

If you haven't connected an AWS account yet, see the [Getting Started guide](/docs/getting-started) first.

## Assigning Resources

After creating a schedule, assign resources to it from the schedule detail page:

- Click "Add Resources" on the schedule detail page
- Select the EC2 instances or RDS databases you want to include
- Resources start following the schedule immediately after assignment
- You can also assign a schedule from an individual resource's detail page

## Pausing & Overrides

Sometimes you need a resource to keep running outside its schedule — for a late-night deployment, a demo, or debugging. ParkMyAWS makes this easy:

- **Pause a schedule** — toggle the schedule off from the schedule detail page. All assigned resources continue running until you resume the schedule.
- **Resume a schedule** — toggle the schedule back on. Resources will follow the next scheduled stop/start time.

## Cost Savings

ParkMyAWS tracks your estimated savings based on the hours each resource is parked and its published on-demand hourly rate. These are estimates, not your actual billed savings — resources covered by Reserved Instances or Savings Plans may save less.

- View per-resource and total savings on the Dashboard
- Track savings trends over time on the Analytics page
- Export savings data for reporting or internal chargeback

As a rough guide, parking dev/staging environments during nights and weekends (the Business Hours template) saves approximately 65% of their compute costs.