Python script crashes when run via Cron

Question

I have a python script that completes exactly as expected when run manually as the root user. When I put the script into cron.daily it crashes 100% of the time.

The error is a timeout error, but this question is not about troubleshooting the error directly.

Executing this works:

$ /etc/cron.daily/myscript 

But it crashes when run automatically via cron.

The Question: What is different about a root bash shell and the environment /etc/cron.daily executes in?

Answer 1

Cron scripts run, by default, in a very minimal environment. The exact set of variables, and their values, should be described in crontab(5) (the details vary by OS).