Cleanup Logic with try/catch/finally

This lesson covers cleanup logic with try/catch/finally in Java, so you can write logic that always runs regardless of whether an error occurred. It's for anyone searching "Java try catch finally usage."

The finally block is a cleanup block that always runs, whether or not an exception occurred. Use it for things like closing a file, or signaling that processing has ended.

The example catches a divide-by-zero error inside divide() with catch, and the finally block always prints "Ending the calculation," regardless of whether an error occurred. Notice the return type Integer, letting it also return null when there's no value.

A common early mistake is misjudging when finally runs. Writing a return inside finally overwrites the return value from the try side — something worth watching out for.

In real projects, the try-with-resources syntax lets you release resources automatically without writing a finally block at all — a more concise way to write it.