Exception handling is a crucial aspect of programming that allows developers to manage errors gracefully without crashing the program. In Python, exception handling is primarily implemented using the try and except blocks. When a block of code is executed, if an error occurs, the program will jump to the corresponding except block to handle the error instead of terminating abruptly.

There are two main types of exceptions in Python: built-in exceptions and user-defined exceptions. Built-in exceptions are predefined in the Python language, such as NameError, TypeError, and ValueError. User-defined exceptions are created by developers to handle specific situations that may arise in their code. It is considered best practice to handle specific exceptions rather than using a generic except block, as this allows for more informative error messages and better debugging.

Additionally, Python provides mechanisms like the finally block, which executes code regardless of whether an exception occurred, and the else statement, which runs if no exceptions were raised in the try block. This comprehensive approach to exception handling helps in writing robust and reliable code ²³⁴.