A finally block is a block of code that will always be executed, whether or not an exception is thrown. For example, if a method opens a file, it should place the file in a finally block to ensure that the file is always closed, even if an exception is thrown. A finally block is not used to handle exceptions; instead, it is used to perform cleanup tasks, such as closing open files or releasing resources that were acquired in the try block.   Finally blocks are often placed after try/catch blocks, but they can also be used alone. When used alone, finally blocks are typically used to perform cleanup tasks that must always be executed, such as closing open files or releasing acquired resources.