What is the primary purpose of exception handling in programming?

The primary purpose of exception handling in programming is to manage errors and prevent program crashes. When an application runs, it can encounter various unexpected situations, such as invalid input, resource unavailability, or other runtime issues. Exception handling provides a structured way to respond to these errors, allowing the program to either recover gracefully or terminate safely without leading to severe disruptions in operation.

By implementing exception handling, programmers can anticipate potential problems and write code that can catch exceptions as they occur. This allows the program to handle the error appropriately, such as by logging it, informing the user, or attempting alternative actions, thus ensuring a smoother user experience. This approach also enhances the overall stability and reliability of the program, which is critical in maintaining user trust and satisfaction.

In contrast, while optimizing performance and improving visual aspects are essential considerations in software development, they do not directly relate to the core function of handling unexpected behaviors in code execution. Similarly, facilitating user interaction is important but is not the primary role of exception handling.