Exception Hierarchy: Throwable, Exception, RuntimeException, and Error0%

Exception Hierarchy: Throwable, Exception, RuntimeException, and Error

Intermediate13 min read•Updated: 2026-10-22

🌲 Java's Exception Hierarchy

Introduction

Exceptions in Java represent abnormal runtime conditions that disrupt normal application flow. All exceptions and errors in Java descend from the java.lang.Throwable class.

🏛️ The Hierarchy Tree

                        Throwable
                            │
          ┌─────────────────┴─────────────────┐
          ▼                                   ▼
        Error                             Exception
  (JVM-level failures)           (Recoverable conditions)
  ├── OutOfMemoryError                        │
  ├── StackOverflowError           ┌──────────┴──────────┐
  └── VirtualMachineError          ▼                     ▼
                           RuntimeException      Checked Exceptions
                           (Unchecked)           ├── IOException
                           ├── NullPointer       ├── SQLException
                           ├── Arithmetic        └── ClassNotFoundException
                           └── IndexOutOfBounds

Error: Serious JVM-level catastrophes (e.g. OutOfMemoryError). Applications should never try to catch these.
Exception: Conditions that a reasonable application should catch and handle.
RuntimeException: Programming logic bugs (null references, dividing by zero, illegal array indexes).

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Checked vs Unchecked Exceptions

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Modern Java Records (Java 14+) for Immutable Data Modeling	Checked vs Unchecked Exceptions

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Checked vs Unchecked Exceptions

Exception Hierarchy: Throwable, Exception, RuntimeException, and Error

Intermediate13 min read•Updated: 2026-10-22

Study Materials

🌲 Java's Exception Hierarchy

Introduction

Exceptions in Java represent abnormal runtime conditions that disrupt normal application flow. All exceptions and errors in Java descend from the java.lang.Throwable class.

🏛️ The Hierarchy Tree

                        Throwable
                            │
          ┌─────────────────┴─────────────────┐
          ▼                                   ▼
        Error                             Exception
  (JVM-level failures)           (Recoverable conditions)
  ├── OutOfMemoryError                        │
  ├── StackOverflowError           ┌──────────┴──────────┐
  └── VirtualMachineError          ▼                     ▼
                           RuntimeException      Checked Exceptions
                           (Unchecked)           ├── IOException
                           ├── NullPointer       ├── SQLException
                           ├── Arithmetic        └── ClassNotFoundException
                           └── IndexOutOfBounds

Error: Serious JVM-level catastrophes (e.g. OutOfMemoryError). Applications should never try to catch these.
Exception: Conditions that a reasonable application should catch and handle.
RuntimeException: Programming logic bugs (null references, dividing by zero, illegal array indexes).

Next Lesson

Checked vs Unchecked Exceptions

Continue learning with hands-on practice, examples, and exercises in the upcoming topic.

Related Lessons

Previous Lesson	Next Lesson
Modern Java Records (Java 14+) for Immutable Data Modeling	Checked vs Unchecked Exceptions

Practice Quiz

Test your understanding of this lesson with 1 questions. Each question has one correct answer.

Previous Next