What are Java Exceptions?

Exceptions in Java are runtime events that interrupt the normal flow of program execution. They represent abnormal conditions or errors that occur during execution and can be handled to prevent the application from terminating unexpectedly.

Key Points: • Exceptions are objects that represent error conditions during program execution. • Java provides a robust exception handling mechanism using try, catch, finally, throw, and throws. • Exceptions help separate error-handling code from regular business logic. • They can be handled locally or propagated to the calling method for further processing. • Java exceptions are broadly categorized into Checked Exceptions and Unchecked Exceptions.

Example: If a program attempts to divide a number by zero or access a file that does not exist, Java throws an exception to indicate the error condition.

Code Example:

public class ExceptionDemo {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        try {
            int result = 10 / 0;
        } catch (ArithmeticException e) {
            System.out.println("Cannot divide by zero");
        }
    }
}

Interview Tip: A concise interview answer is:

"Exceptions are events that occur during program execution and disrupt the normal flow of the application. In Java, exceptions are represented as objects and can be handled using try-catch blocks to ensure graceful error handling."