Both nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and organic nitrates (ONs) are very important trace gases in the atmosphere. The concentration of NO₂ is one of the most important indicators to assess the degree of air pollution. In addition, NO₂ is the main source of tropospheric ozone and a significant precursor of photochemical smog and acid rain. Organic nitrates in the atmosphere are stable at low temperature and easy to decompose at high temperature, making them a potential source of NO₂, and in other hand, they also have a certain impact on the global distribution of O₃. Therefore, accurately obtaining the concentration of NO₂ and ONs in the atmosphere is of great significance for studying atmospheric chemical processes. As early as the 1950s and 1960s, chemiluminescence and spectrophotometric techniques were used to measure NO₂ in the ambient atmosphere. With the development of science and technology, differential optical absorption spectroscopy, laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy, cavity ring down spectroscopy, and cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy have been used to measure NO₂ in various environments. Accurate measurement of ONs is of great importance in nitrogen cycle research. At present, the main measurement techniques of ONs include gas chromatography with electron capture detection and indirect measurements through pyrolysis conversion of ONs to NO₂. The research status and development tendency of NO₂ and ONs detection technologies in the environment both at home and abroad are reviewed, the principles, advantages and disadvantages of existing measurement methods are introduced and compared in detail, and the applications of various research methods in field observations are summarized.