Because of the high calorific value, boron-based energetic compounds will become the research focus in the field of energetic materials. At present, the research on boron-based energetic compounds has not been widely carried out in China. In this paper, according to the research status abroad, the reported boron-based energetic compounds were preliminarily classified into five categories, i.e. nitrogen-rich boron esters, poly(azole)borates, nitroboranes, nitrogen-rich borazines and azide boron compounds. The structural characteristics、synthesis routes and basic properties of these five energetic borides were introduced respectively. Finally, the development trend of boron-based energetic compounds and their application prospect in propellants were analyzed and prospected: Due to the high tension bond energy, borozines or boron nitrogen heterocyclic compounds are expected to become the new research hotspot in the field of energetic materials. The synthesis method of poly(azole)borates is relatively convenient and the performance is easy to control, so it can be considered as a new way to improve the combustion performance of fuel-rich propellants by replacing boron particles. As the boron ester energetic compounds have high oxygen content, the heats of formation and oxygen balance can be further improved by introducing polynirto rich nitrogen groups, thus the possibility of replacement of ammonium perchlorate with them can be explored.