# Analyzing Neptune query execution using Gremlin `explain`
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Amazon Neptune has added a Gremlin feature named *explain*. This feature is a self-service tool for understanding the execution approach taken by the Neptune engine. You invoke it by adding an `explain` parameter to an HTTP call that submits a Gremlin query.

The `explain` feature provides information about the logical structure of query execution plans. You can use this information to identify potential evaluation and execution bottlenecks and tune your query, as explained in [Tuning Gremlin queries](gremlin-traversal-tuning.md). You can also use [query hints](gremlin-query-hints.md) to improve query execution plans.

**Topics**
+ [Understanding how Gremlin queries work in Neptune](gremlin-explain-background.md)
+ [Using the Gremlin `explain` API in Neptune](gremlin-explain-api.md)
+ [Gremlin `profile` API in Neptune](gremlin-profile-api.md)
+ [Tuning Gremlin queries using `explain` and `profile`](gremlin-traversal-tuning.md)
+ [Native Gremlin step support in Amazon Neptune](gremlin-step-support.md)