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Workflow Timeouts - Java SDK

Workflow timeouts

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.

Create an instance of WorkflowStub in the Client code and set your timeout.

Available timeouts are:

//create Workflow stub for YourWorkflowInterface
YourWorkflowInterface workflow1 =
WorkerGreet.greetclient.newWorkflowStub(
GreetWorkflowInterface.class,
WorkflowOptions.newBuilder()
.setWorkflowId("YourWorkflow")
.setTaskQueue(WorkerGreet.TASK_QUEUE)
// Set Workflow Timeout duration
.setWorkflowExecutionTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10))
// .setWorkflowRunTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10))
// .setWorkflowTaskTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10))
.build());

Workflow Retry Policy

How to set a Workflow Retry Policy in Java.

A Retry Policy can work in cooperation with the timeouts to provide fine controls to optimize the execution experience.

Use a Retry Policy to retry a Workflow Execution in the event of a failure.

Workflow Executions do not retry by default, and Retry Policies should be used with Workflow Executions only in certain situations.

To set a Workflow Retry Options in the WorkflowStub instance use WorkflowOptions.Builder.setWorkflowRetryOptions.

  • Type: RetryOptions
  • Default: Null which means no retries will be attempted.
//create Workflow stub for GreetWorkflowInterface
GreetWorkflowInterface workflow1 =
WorkerGreet.greetclient.newWorkflowStub(
GreetWorkflowInterface.class,
WorkflowOptions.newBuilder()
.setWorkflowId("GreetWF")
.setTaskQueue(WorkerGreet.TASK_QUEUE)
// Set Workflow Retry Options
.setRetryOptions(RetryOptions.newBuilder()
.build());