What is the purpose of error handling in programming?

The main purpose of error handling in programming is to manage and respond to runtime errors effectively. During the execution of a program, various unexpected conditions can arise, such as attempting to divide by zero, accessing a file that does not exist, or encountering network issues. Error handling allows developers to anticipate these potential issues and provide appropriate responses, which might include logging the error, notifying the user, or attempting to recover from the situation gracefully.

Implementing proper error handling improves the robustness and reliability of an application, ensuring that it can handle exceptional situations without crashing and provides users with meaningful information about what went wrong. This responsiveness enhances the overall user experience by preventing abrupt termination of the program and allowing for smoother operation even when issues arise.