What is the lifespan of render?

I'm quite curious about the lifespan of render, could you elaborate on that? It seems to be a crucial aspect in the realm of graphics and visualization, yet its duration often remains a mystery. Is it determined by the quality of the render or the complexity of the scene? Does it vary significantly across different software and hardware? I'm eager to understand how long a render typically takes and what factors influence its lifespan. Could you please shed some light on this matter?