The development process of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) at home and abroad was briefly summarized. The components of the element system of SHS precursor and the application direction of SHS products (powdered functional materials, ceramic materials, coating materials) were classified and expounded and the application of future energetic materials in SHS was emphatically analyzed. Secondly, the theoretical analysis of ignition mechanism, reaction mechanism, thermodynamics and kinetics of SHS materials suitable for different application directions was emphatically analyzed. On this basis, a new viewpoint that the adiabatic temperature was not the only criterion of SHS reaction was proposed. Finally, the combustion mechanism of SHS was introduced and the effects of experimental conditions such as particle sizes of reactants, milling parameters and pressed compact pressure of reactants on the SHS reactions were clarified. At the same time, the problems in the development of the SHS technology were analyzed.