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Detecting Workflows failures

Each Workflow Timeout controls the maximum duration of a different aspect of a Workflow Execution. Workflow Timeouts are set when starting the Workflow Execution.

Before we continue, we want to note that we generally do not recommend setting Workflow Timeouts, because Workflows are designed to be long-running and resilient. Instead, setting a Timeout can limit its ability to handle unexpected delays or long-running processes. If you need to perform an action inside your Workflow after a specific period of time, we recommend using a Timer.

Workflow Execution Timeout?​

What is a Workflow Execution Timeout in Temporal?

A Workflow Execution Timeout is the maximum time that a Workflow Execution can be executing (have an Open status) including retries and any usage of Continue As New.

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Workflow Execution Timeout period

Workflow Execution Timeout period

The default value is ∞ (infinite). If this timeout is reached, the Workflow Execution changes to a Timed Out status. This timeout is different from the Workflow Run Timeout. This timeout is most commonly used for stopping the execution of a Temporal Cron Job after a certain amount of time has passed.

Workflow Run Timeout?​

What is a Workflow Run Timeout in Temporal?

A Workflow Run is the instance of a specific Workflow Execution.

Due to the potential for Workflow Retries or Continue-as-New, a Workflow Execution may have multiple Workflow runs. For example, if a Workflow that specifies a Retry Policy initially fails and then succeeds during the next retry attempt, there is a single Workflow Execution that spans two Workflow Runs. Both runs will share the same Workflow ID but have a unique Run ID to distinguish them.

A Workflow Run Timeout restricts the maximum duration of a single Workflow Run. If the Workflow Run Timeout is reached, the Workflow Execution will be Timed Out. Because this Timeout only applies to an individual Workflow Run, this does not include retries or Continue-As-New.

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Workflow Run Timeout period

Workflow Run Timeout period

The default is set to the same value as the Workflow Execution Timeout. This timeout is most commonly used to limit the execution time of a single Temporal Cron Job Execution.

If the Workflow Run Timeout is reached, the Workflow Execution will be Timed Out.

Workflow Task Timeout?​

What is a Workflow Task Timeout in Temporal?

A Workflow Task Timeout is the maximum amount of time allowed for a Worker to execute a Workflow Task after the Worker has pulled that Workflow Task from the Task Queue.

This Timeout is primarily available to recognize whether a Worker has gone down so that the Workflow Execution can be recovered on a different Worker.

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Workflow Task Timeout period

Workflow Task Timeout period

The default value is 10 seconds. This timeout is primarily available to recognize whether a Worker has gone down so that the Workflow Execution can be recovered on a different Worker. The main reason for increasing the default value is to accommodate a Workflow Execution that has an extensive Workflow Execution History, requiring more than 10 seconds for the Worker to load. It's worth mentioning that although you can extend the timeout up to the maximum value of 120 seconds, it's not recommended to move beyond the default value.