What is the purpose of the $lte operator in MongoDB?

The $lte operator in MongoDB is used to perform comparisons in queries. Specifically, it stands for "less than or equal to." When you use this operator in your query, you are instructing MongoDB to return documents where the value of a specified field is less than or equal to the value you provide in your query.

This operator is particularly useful for filtering results based on numerical or date values, allowing you to easily retrieve records that meet certain criteria. For instance, if you have a collection of products and you want to find items that cost less than or equal to a certain price, you would use the $lte operator to ensure that you capture all relevant products within that price range.

In contrast, the other options represent different comparison operators that do not align with the $lte functionality. Understanding the specific role of each operator is essential for effectively querying data in MongoDB.