What is Error vs Exception in Java?

In Java, the terms "Error" and "Exception" represent two different types of issues that can arise during the execution of a program. Understanding the distinction between them is crucial for effective error handling.

Error

An Error refers to a serious problem that a typical application should not try to catch. These are usually conditions that are external to the application, such as hardware failures or JVM errors. Errors are unchecked, meaning they do not need to be declared or caught explicitly.

Exception

An Exception is a condition that a program may want to catch and handle. There are two main categories of exceptions:

  • Checked Exceptions: These must be declared in the method signature or handled with a try-catch block. Examples include IOException and SQLException.
  • Unchecked Exceptions: These do not need to be declared or caught. Examples include NullPointerException and ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException.

Example

try { // This code might throw an Exception int result = 10 / 0; } catch (ArithmeticException e) { // Handle the exception System.out.println("Arithmetic error: " + e.getMessage()); }

Error Exception Java Checked Exceptions Unchecked Exceptions

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