Left derived functor ($L_{i}F(M)=H_i(F(P_{\bullet }))$)

For an additive right-exact functor on module categories, apply it to a projective resolution and take homology. Lifts of module maps exist by projectivity; any two lifts are chain homotopic, giving independence and functoriality. The zeroth derived functor is naturally $F$, positive degrees vanish on projective modules, and the horseshoe lemma produces a long exact homology sequence from each short exact sequence. A Tor functor is the left derived functor of a tensor product of modules functor.

For a right-exact additive functor out of an abelian category with enough projectives, apply the functor to a projective resolution and take homology objects. The zeroth derived functor is $F$, positive derived functors vanish on projective objects, and the degreewise split horseshoe lemma produces a long exact sequence from every short exact sequence in an abelian category. The target can be any abelian category, including an opposite category of one.