In this work, we study the expansion and contraction of the cosmic fluid from a thermodynamic perspective. We make general considerations about both processes by calculating their Gibbs free energy function and analyzing its sign. The sign determines whether the process is spontaneous or non-spontaneous. The result is that, while the expansion of the universe is a spontaneous process at any temperature, the contraction process is not. To carry out this study, we derive an equation that relates the entropy generated by these processes to the redshift and the adiabatic index. Using this equation, we calculate the Gibbs free energy function, studying the spontaneity of the expansion and contraction processes. The result is that, while the expansion process is always spontaneous, the contraction process is never spontaneous, requiring external energy to make it possible.