Errors can happen during code execution. JavaScript provides a way to handle them so your program does not crash.

The try...catch statement is used to catch and handle errors.

try {
  const result = JSON.parse("invalid json");
  console.log(result);
} catch (error) {
  console.log("Something went wrong");
}

If an error occurs inside try, the code inside catch runs instead.

You can also create your own errors using throw:

function checkAge(age) {
  if (age < 18) {
    throw new Error("Access denied");
  }
}

checkAge(16);

Error handling is important in backend development because it allows you to control failures and return meaningful responses instead of breaking the application.