Abstract: Lipid biomarkers are derived from precursor organisms and can be widely applied in paleontological and paleo-environmental research due to their unique chemical stability. In recent years, with the development of extraction and detection technology of coral lipids, lipid compounds have played an increasingly important role in the field of coral research. In order to explore the diversity of coral lipids and their environmental indicators, this paper focuses on the species, spatial and temporal differences in the content and composition of coral lipids, and discusses the types and distribution of coral lipids. It is believed that the content and composition of coral lipids are mainly affected by habitat factors such as coral growth and development stage, water depth, light and nutrient pattern. In addition, fatty acids are indicative to material sources and exchange processes, nutrient patterns and coral bleaching in coral ecosystems. This paper also analyzed the main problems existing in current research and the prospects of lipid compounds in coral symbiotic microorganisms and coral bone organic matter sources. In the future, not only should we enrich and strengthen the analysis and testing categories of lipid compounds, but also need to develop and improve coral tissue separation technology, so as to enhance the application of lipid biomarkers in coral scientific research.