What is interrupt handling?

Interrupt handling is a mechanism by which a computer system responds to events that require immediate attention, interrupting the normal execution of a program. An interrupt handler, also known as an interrupt service routine (ISR), is a specific block of code designed to handle a particular interrupt. It saves the current state of the program, services the interrupt by performing the necessary actions, and then restores the program to its previous state, allowing it to continue execution as if nothing happened. Interrupts are commonly used for handling hardware signals (like keyboard presses, disk I/O completion, or network packet arrival) and software events (like system calls or exceptions), enabling efficient and responsive system operation.