---
id: pytest-order
version: "1.5.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pytest-order — pytest plugin to run tests in a specific order

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 6.1M/mo

## What it is and what it does

pytest-order is a pytest plugin that gives you fine-grained control over test execution order. Instead of relying on pytest's default discovery order, you can use the `order` marker to run tests by index (e.g., `@pytest.mark.order(1)` for first), from the end using negative indices, or relative to other tests using `before` and `after` attributes. It also supports session-, module-, class-, and directory-scope ordering, and can integrate with pytest-dependency markers if configured.

The plugin is a maintained fork of the older pytest-ordering project, with additional features like relative ordering and configuration options. It works across Linux, macOS, and Windows, and supports Python versions from 3.9 through 3.14. Installation is straightforward via pip, and the only runtime dependency is pytest itself.

Use it for:

- Run setup or fixture tests first and teardown tests last to ensure proper test isolation.
- Enforce a specific sequence when tests have implicit dependencies or shared state.
- Group and order related tests using scope options for organized test execution.
- Run critical or fast tests early to fail fast, and slow or optional tests later.
- Integrate test ordering with pytest-dependency markers for declarative test relationships.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

A pytest plugin that lets you control the order in which tests run using markers, either by index number or by specifying relationships between tests.

Yes. This is an actively maintained, permissively licensed plugin with low install friction and no known vulnerabilities. It solves a real problem—test ordering—that many projects need. Use it when you have tests with implicit dependencies or when you want deterministic execution order; skip it if your tests are properly isolated and order-independent.

## Install

pip install pytest-order
uv add pytest-order
poetry add pytest-order

## Installing pytest-order

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with only pytest as a runtime dependency. Active maintenance with a release 62 days ago and recent commits; the project is not archived and has 210 stars.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive) means you can use this plugin freely in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install pytest-order

import pytest

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

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

Requires pytest >= 6.2.4 for Python < 3.14, or pytest >= 7.4 for Python 3.14; Python >= 3.9 required.

Verify before relying:

- Whether ordering handles tests with implicit dependencies or shared state correctly.
- Performance impact when ordering large test suites.
- Compatibility edge cases with other pytest plugins beyond pytest-dependency.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 6.1M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

pytest test ordering, control test execution order, pytest marker ordering, run tests in specific sequence, pytest test dependencies, pytest before after markers, test ordering plugin, pytest-plugin, test-ordering

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