Python try/except/else/finally: Execution Order Every Developer Should Know

Python's exception handling supports four blocks — try, except, else, and finally — each with a distinct and non-obvious execution order that trips up many developers. The else block runs only when the try block completes without raising an exception, making it useful for success-only logic separate from the protected operation. The finally block always executes regardless of whether an exception was raised, caught, or left unhandled — and can even override a return statement inside try. When exceptions are re-raised using 'raise X from None', the original exception chain is suppressed and its cause becomes inaccessible. These behaviors are commonly tested in senior Python interviews because their interactions with return statements and nested exceptions are widely misunderstood.