10 Essential Django ORM Methods Every Developer Must Know!

Imagine life without an ORM — pretty awful, right? You’d have to write endless SQL queries just to interact with your database. Thankfully, Django ORM lets us work with databases using simple, Pythonic code, making everything so much easier!

In the guide we are going to explore 10 must-know Django ORM methods that every developer should master:

1. all() – Fetch All Records

The .all() method retrieves all objects from a model's database table.

from myapp.models import Product 
 
products = Product.objects.all()

⚠ Warning: Avoid using .all() on large datasets without pagination, as it can lead to performance issues.

for more details checkout my post on .all()

Django Developers, Stop Using .all() for Queries – Here’s Why!

Django’s ORM is powerful, but using .all() indiscriminately can lead to performance bottlenecks, unnecessary database…

2. filter() – Fetch Records Matching a Condition

The .filter() method allows you to retrieve records that match specific conditions.

cheap_products = Product.objects.filter(price__lt=100)

You can combine multiple conditions:

cheap_books = Product.objects.filter(category="Books", price__lt=50)

3. get() – Fetch a Single Record

The .get() method is used to retrieve a single object that matches a condition.

def get_product(request, product_id): 
  try: 
      product = Product.objects.get(id=product_id) 
  except Product.DoesNotExist: 
      print("Product not found!") 
  except Product.MultipleObjectsReturned: 
      print("Multiple products found!")

⚠ Warning: .get() raises an exception if no record is found or if multiple records match the query, better to handle those exception.

or you can just use get_object_or_404 simple and easy

from django.shortcuts import get_object_or_404 
 
def get_product(request, product_id): 
    product = get_object_or_404(Product, id=product_id)

4. exclude() – Fetch All Records Except the Matching Ones

The .exclude() method is the opposite of .filter(), returning objects that do not match the specified conditions.

non_discounted_products = Product.objects.exclude(discount=True)

5. order_by() – Sort Query Results

The .order_by() method allows sorting query results in ascending or descending order.

# Ascending order (default) 
products = Product.objects.order_by('price') 
 
# Descending order 
products = Product.objects.order_by('-price')

6. values() – Fetch Specific Fields as Dictionaries

The .values() method returns query results as a list of dictionaries instead of full model instances.

product_names = Product.objects.values('name', 'price')

This is faster and more memory-efficient when you only need specific fields.

7. values_list() – Fetch Specific Fields as Tuples

Similar to .values(), but returns a list of tuples instead of dictionaries.

product_data = Product.objects.values_list('name', 'price')

To return a flat list (instead of tuples), use flat=True:

product_names = Product.objects.values_list('name', flat=True)

8. count() – Get the Number of Records

The .count() method efficiently returns the number of records that match a query.

total_products = Product.objects.count() 
cheap_products_count = Product.objects.filter(price__lt=100).count()

Why Use .count() Instead of len()?
Using .count() runs a database-level COUNT() query, which is faster than retrieving all records and using len().

9. exists() – Check If Records Exist

The .exists() method checks whether a query returns at least one record.

if Product.objects.filter(name="Laptop").exists(): 
    print("Laptop is available!")

This is much faster than fetching records just to check their existence.

10. update() – Update Existing Records

The .update() method updates multiple records in a single query.

Product.objects.filter(category="Books").update(discount=True)

Why Use .update() Instead of a Loop?
This executes a single SQL query, making it way faster than looping through records and updating them one by one.

Bonus: delete() – Remove Records from the Database

The .delete() method removes records that match a query.

Product.objects.filter(discount=True).delete()

⚠ Warning: Deletions are permanent and cannot be undone!

Wrapping Up

Mastering these Django ORM methods will help you:
- Write efficient database queries
- Optimize performance
- Reduce unnecessary database operations

Want to go deeper? Try these:

• select_related() and prefetch_related() – Optimize queries with relationships
• annotate() – Perform calculations on querysets
• bulk_create() and bulk_update() – Insert/update multiple records efficiently

Which ORM method do you use most often? Let me know in the comments! 🚀