What does the operator $gte represent in MongoDB queries?

The operator $gte in MongoDB queries stands for "greater than or equal to." It is used to compare values in a query and retrieve documents where the specified field's value meets or exceeds a defined threshold. This operator is important for filtering data based on numerical or date comparisons.

For example, if you are querying a collection of records that represent products and you want to find all products with a price of $50 or more, you would use the $gte operator. This ensures that any product with a price that is greater than or equal to $50 will be returned in the query results.

Utilizing $gte is particularly useful in scenarios where you need to establish a minimum threshold, whether in financial data, item quantities, or time-based queries, allowing for a comprehensive dataset retrieval while ensuring inclusive comparisons at the specified limit.