1. Catch Specific Exceptions
Always catch the most specific exception first. This helps in identifying the exact issue and handling it appropriately.

try {
    // Code that may throw an exception
} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
    // Handle FileNotFoundException
} catch (IOException e) {
    // Handle other IOExceptions
}

2. Avoid Empty Catch Blocks
Empty catch blocks can hide errors and make debugging difficult. Always log the exception or take some action.

try {
    // Code that may throw an exception
} catch (IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace(); // Log the exception
}

3. Use Finally Block for Cleanup
The finally block is used to execute important code such as closing resources, regardless of whether an exception is thrown or not.

BufferedReader reader = null;
try {
    reader = new BufferedReader(new FileReader("file.txt"));
    // Read file
} catch (IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
} finally {
    if (reader != null) {
        try {
            reader.close();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

4. Don’t Catch Throwable
Avoid catching Throwable as it includes errors that are not meant to be caught, such as OutOfMemoryError.

try {
    // Code that may throw an exception
} catch (Exception e) {
    e.printStackTrace(); // Catch only exceptions
}

5. Log Exceptions Properly
Use a logging framework like Log4j or SLF4J to log exceptions instead of using System.out.println.

private static final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(MyClass.class);

try {
    // Code that may throw an exception
} catch (IOException e) {
    logger.error("An error occurred", e);
}

6. Rethrow Exceptions if Necessary
Sometimes, it’s better to rethrow the exception after logging it or performing some action.

try {
    // Code that may throw an exception
} catch (IOException e) {
    logger.error("An error occurred", e);
    throw e; // Rethrow the exception
}

7. Use Multi-Catch Blocks
In Java 7 and later, you can catch multiple exceptions in a single catch block.

try {
    // Code that may throw an exception
} catch (IOException | SQLException e) {
    e.printStackTrace(); // Handle both IOException and SQLException
}

8. Avoid Overusing Exceptions for Control Flow
Exceptions should not be used for regular control flow. They are meant for exceptional conditions.

// Avoid this
try {
    int value = Integer.parseInt("abc");
} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
    // Handle exception
}

// Prefer this
if (isNumeric("abc")) {
    int value = Integer.parseInt("abc");
}