What is the Difference Between throw and throws in Java?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The 'throw' and 'throws' keywords in Java are used in the context of exception handling but serve different purposes and are used in different scenarios. Here are the main differences between them:
- Usage:
- 'throw' is used to explicitly throw an exception from within a block of code or a method.
- 'throws' is used in a method signature to declare the exceptions that a method can potentially throw.
- Exception Type:
- 'throw' can only propagate unchecked exceptions.
- 'throws' can declare both unchecked and checked exceptions.
- Syntax:
- The instance variable follows the 'throw' keyword.
- The exception class names follow the 'throws' keyword.
- Exception Throwing:
- The 'throw' keyword is used to throw an exception explicitly.
- The 'throws' keyword declares which exceptions can be thrown by a method, allowing other methods to catch or handle them.
- Exception Handling:
- Using 'throw' allows you to handle exceptions based on certain conditions within a code block.
- Using 'throws' allows exception propagation, where an exception propagates from method to method, up the call stack, until it's caught.
In summary, 'throw' is used to explicitly throw an exception within a method or block of code, while 'throws' is used in a method signature to declare potential exceptions that can be thrown by the method. 'throw' can only propagate unchecked exceptions, while 'throws' can declare both unchecked and checked exceptions.
Comparative Table: throw vs throws in Java
Here is a table highlighting the differences between throw
and throws
in Java:
Feature | Throw | Throws |
---|---|---|
Purpose | Used to explicitly throw an exception within a method or block of code. | Used to declare an exception that a method might throw. |
Keyword Location | Inside a method or block of code. | In the method declaration (signature). |
Exception Types | Can throw only one exception at a time. | Can declare multiple exceptions by listing them. |
Exception Propagation | Propagates only unchecked exceptions. | Propagates both checked and unchecked exceptions. |
In summary, throws
is used to declare the exceptions that a method might throw, while throw
is used to explicitly throw an exception within a method or block of code. The throws
keyword is used in the method declaration, while the throw
keyword is used inside the method body. The throw
keyword can throw only one exception at a time, while the throws
keyword can declare multiple exceptions. Additionally, the throws
keyword is used to propagate both checked and unchecked exceptions, while the throw
keyword propagates only unchecked exceptions.
- Threw vs Through
- Overloading vs Overriding in Java
- Java vs Oracle
- Java vs JavaScript
- Java vs C++
- Java vs Spring
- Checked vs Unchecked Exception in Java
- break vs continue in Java
- final finally vs finalize in Java
- Java vs C language
- Java vs J2EE
- Wrapper Class vs Primitive Type in Java
- Package vs Interface in Java
- Android vs Java
- static vs final in Java
- Throw vs Blanket
- Java5 vs Java6
- String StringBuffer vs StringBuilder in Java
- equals vs hashCode in Java