---
title: Timeline
description: Analyze the timeline of test runs in Allure Report, identify issues with slow tests, retries, and environmental gaps, and explore test durations and statuses.
---

# Timeline

The Timeline chart shows the order and the durations of all tests' executions.

Images: /images/charts/timeline-allure3.png, /images/charts/timeline-allure2.png

When a test framework runs tests in parallel, it does so using a set of worker processes. Each worker can only run one test at a time, but then the worker can be re-used to run another test. In the chart, each row represents a single worker process, and each rectangle on it represents a single test's execution. The color of each rectangle represents the test status, with the colors having the same meanings as on the [test statuses chart](/docs/visual-analytics/#test-statuses-chart).

## Where to see timeline

- In Allure Report 3, click on **Report** in the top left corner of the home page and select **Timeline**.
- In Allure Report 2, it is located on its own **Timeline** tab.

## Working with the timeline

You can control the timeline chart to better analyze the data you are interested in.

- Move the thumb of the slider above the chart to show only those tests that took longer than a certain threshold.

- Move the thumbs of the range slider below the chart to zoom in to a time interval. The labels near the range slider indicate time passed since the beginning of the first test's execution.

- Hover the mouse pointer over a rectangle to see the test's title and the time its execution started and finished (expressed in seconds and milliseconds since the beginning of the first test's execution). Click on a rectangle to see the test details.

## Recognizing common issues

You can find the causes of various test failures or slowdowns just by looking at the timeline. For example:

- When some tests are significantly slower than the others, the corresponding rectangles on the chart will be the largest.

  ![Allure Report Timeline durations](/images/charts/timeline-durations.png "Allure Report Timeline durations")

- If your tests work on a web resource, and the resource goes offline for a while, a lot of seemingly unrelated tests may fail simultaneously. Such a situation can manifest itself as a set of failed (red) tests in one area.

  ![Allure Report Timeline period](/images/charts/timeline-verticals.png "Allure Report Timeline period")

- Some test frameworks wait for all running tests to finish before attempting to run the failed ones again. This usually leads to noticeable areas of almost blank space.

  ![Allure Report Timeline retries](/images/charts/timeline-retries.png "Allure Report Timeline retries")

- A test framework may spend too much time loading the environment before each test. This leads to wide horizontal gaps between tests.

  ![Allure Report Timeline gaps](/images/charts/timeline-gaps.png "Allure Report Timeline gaps")