How do error handling approaches differ when using the keyword throws and the try-catch construct?

In Java, the keyword throws and the try-catch construct are used for exception handling but serve different roles:

• throws — part of the method declaration, indicating that the method may throw certain exceptions. It is a way to inform the calling code that it should be prepared to handle these exceptions or also declare them with throws.

• try-catch — a construct that directly catches and handles exceptions at runtime.

Example:

// Method declares that it may throw IOException
public void readFile() throws IOException {
    // code that may throw IOException
}

public void process() {
    try {
        readFile();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        // handle exception
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
}

Summary:

• throws — a declarative mechanism informing about possible exceptions.
• try-catch — an imperative mechanism for handling exceptions.