ORM Lookups (Object-Relational Mapping lookups) are specialized query operators in Django's ORM system that allow developers to filter, compare, and retrieve database records using Python-like syntax rather than writing raw SQL.

Key Characteristics of ORM Lookups

1. Field-Specific Operations

   • Append to field names using double underscores (__)

   • Example: price__gt, name__icontains

2. SQL Abstraction

   • Convert Python syntax to database queries automatically

   • Work across different database backends (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)

3. Chainable Filters

   • Can be combined for complex queries

   • Example: Product.objects.filter(price__gt=100, stock__lt=10)

4. Type-Sensitive

   • Different lookups available for different field types:

     • Text fields: contains, istartswith

     • Numbers: gt, lte

     • Dates: year, month

Why ORM Lookups Matter

1. Database Agnostic

   • Same code works with PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc.

2. Security

   • Automatic SQL injection protection

3. Readability

   • Expressive syntax closer to natural language than SQL

4. Performance

   • Lazy evaluation optimizes query execution