Pytest Order Plugin

1.3.0 · active · verified Thu Apr 09

pytest-order is a pytest plugin that allows running tests in a specific, user-defined order. It integrates with pytest using markers, providing various levels of control including custom order, dependency-based ordering, and relative ordering. The current version is 1.3.0, and it maintains an active release cadence with regular updates.

Warnings

breaking Python 2.7 support was dropped in version 1.0.0. Users requiring Python 2.7 compatibility must stick to pytest-order v0.11.0 or older.
Fix: Upgrade to Python 3.7+ or pin pytest-order to a version <=0.11.0.
gotcha Using pytest-order with `pytest-xdist` can lead to unpredictable test execution order, as `pytest-xdist` parallelizes tests across processes, potentially breaking assumed sequential order.
Fix: Avoid using `pytest-xdist` for tests where explicit ordering is critical, or use `pytest --dist=no` to disable parallelization for specific runs. Ensure dependencies are only within tests executed in the same process.
gotcha By default, `@pytest.mark.order` applies within its declared scope (module, class). Cross-module or cross-class ordering often requires explicit `@pytest.mark.run(after='...')` markers or the `--hierarchical-ordering` option.
Fix: Use dependency markers (`@pytest.mark.run`) for cross-scope ordering, or enable `--hierarchical-ordering` and carefully define order across directories/modules.
gotcha Version 1.3.0 introduced the `--error-on-failed-ordering` option. Previously, tests whose order could not be resolved would simply run without an enforced order. With this flag, such tests will now fail, changing default behavior if the flag is enabled.
Fix: Be aware of this option's behavior. If you prefer tests to run unordered rather than fail, ensure `--error-on-failed-ordering` is not enabled, or adjust your ordering markers to resolve all dependencies.

Install

pip install pytest-order Install stable version

Imports

pytest.mark.order
```
import pytest

@pytest.mark.order(1)
```
pytest-order operates via pytest markers. Direct Python imports from the plugin are generally not used in user code.

Quickstart

Demonstrates basic test ordering using `@pytest.mark.order` and dependency-based ordering using `@pytest.mark.run(after='...')` and `@pytest.mark.run(before='...')`.

import pytest

@pytest.mark.order(1)
def test_first():
    assert True

@pytest.mark.order(2)
def test_second():
    assert True

@pytest.mark.run(after='test_first')
def test_dependency_on_first():
    assert True

@pytest.mark.run(before='test_second')
def test_dependency_before_second():
    assert True

# To run these tests:
# 1. Save the code as a Python file (e.g., test_ordering.py)
# 2. Run from your terminal: pytest test_ordering.py

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