What is the purpose of the 'if' statement in programming?

The purpose of the 'if' statement in programming is to execute a block of code based on a true condition. This means that when the condition specified in the 'if' statement evaluates to true, the code block that follows is executed. This allows programmers to introduce decision-making capabilities into their code, enabling different outcomes based on varying conditions.

For instance, consider a scenario in a program where you want to check if a user is eligible to vote. An 'if' statement can be used to evaluate whether the user's age meets the minimum voting age. If the condition (age being 18 or older) is true, the program will execute the code that informs the user they are eligible to vote. If the condition is false, that particular block of code is skipped.

Understanding how the 'if' statement functions is fundamental to control flow in programming, as it allows for branching paths in the execution of code based on specified criteria.