Compare and contrast error handling approaches in JavaScript, including try-catch blocks and error propagation.

In JavaScript, error handling is a crucial aspect of writing robust and reliable code. There are two primary approaches to error handling: using try-catch blocks and error propagation. Let's explore each approach in detail and compare their characteristics:

1. Try-Catch Blocks:
Try-catch blocks are used to catch and handle exceptions that occur during the execution of a specific block of code. The syntax is as follows:

```
javascript`try {
// Code that might throw an error
} catch (error) {
// Code to handle the error
}`
```
Here's how try-catch blocks work:

* The code within the try block is executed.
* If an exception occurs during the execution of the try block, the catch block is immediately executed.
* The catch block receives the thrown error as a parameter, allowing you to access information about the error and handle it appropriately.

Try-catch blocks offer several advantages:

* Error Isolation: With try-catch blocks, you can isolate specific portions of code where you anticipate errors and handle them gracefully. This prevents the entire application from crashing due to unhandled exceptions.
* Graceful Error Handling: By catching exceptions, you have the opportunity to handle errors in a way that provides useful feedback to users or logs detailed error information for debugging purposes. It enables you to gracefully recover from errors or display custom error messages to users.

However, try-catch blocks have some limitations:

* Synchronous Error Handling: Try-catch blocks are synchronous, which means they can only handle errors that occur within the same execution stack. They are not suitable for handling asynchronous errors or errors that occur in separate event loops.
* Overhead and Performance Impact: Using try-catch blocks incurs some performance overhead, especially when exceptions are thrown frequently. This can impact the overall performance of your code, so it's important to use them judiciously.
2. Error Propagation:
Error propagation involves allowing errors to propagate through the call stack until they are caught and handled at an appropriate level. Instead of catching errors immediately, they are passed up to higher-level functions or modules for handling.

In JavaScript, error propagation can be achieved through returning error values or throwing exceptions without catching them within each function.

Here's an example that demonstrates error propagation:

```
javascript`function divide(a, b) {
if (b === 0) {
throw new Error('Cannot divide by zero');
}
return a / b;
}

function performCalculation(a, b) {
return divide(a, b);
}

try {
const result = performCalculation(10, 0);
console.log('Result:', result);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error:', error.message);
}`
```
In this example, the `divide` function throws an error if the divisor (`b`) is zero. The error is not caught within the `divide` function but instead propagated to the calling function, `performCalculation`. Finally, the error is caught using a try-catch block in the outermost scope.

Error propagation provides the following benefits:

* Centralized Error Handling: By allowing errors to propagate, you can handle them at higher-level functions or modules. This promotes centralized error handling, making it easier to manage and log errors consistently across the application.
* Asynchronous Error Handling: Error propagation is suitable for handling errors in asynchronous operations, such as promises or callbacks, where try-catch blocks are not feasible. Errors can be propagated through the asynchronous chain until they are caught at an appropriate level.

However, error propagation has its considerations:

* Debugging Complexity: Since errors are not caught immediately, it can be challenging to trace the exact source of an error, especially in complex call stacks. Proper error logging and stack trace information are crucial for effective debugging.
* Error B