Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a power generation device that can directly convert chemical energy into electrical energy, which has a high power generation efficiency. Compared with the conventional power generation mode, the use of the SOFC to generate electricity can greatly reduce the environmental pollution. Solid oxide fuel cells can be divided into tubular and flat plate types according to their structure. The structural characteristics of SOFC determine that its high temperature sealing difficulty is lower than that of plate structure, and the special tubular SOFC structure design can completely solve the high-temperature sealing problem, especially in the tubular SOFC structure with multiple single cells in series integrated design on one battery tube. One battery tube is equivalent to a small stack with unique output characteristics of a high voltage and a low current, which can significantly reduce the ohmic polarization loss of tubular cells. The reduced sealing difficulty of tubular SOFC makes the tubular battery stack relatively easy, and the thermal stress constraint in the operation of the stack is small, which is conducive to the long-term stable operation of the stack. Compared with plate batteries, their volumetric power density and output current density are relatively low under the same conditions. In addition, tubular SOFC can be also operated under pressure due to its good sealing characteristics, further improving the power generation efficiency. After continuous development, significant breakthroughs in the technology of tubular SOFC are mode, especially for establishing kilowatt level SOFC power generation systems and achieving commercialization. Most of the single tube batteries used are multi-cell structures. The development of SOFC technology starts relatively late in China, so although it is commercialized, it is mostly a single tube single cell structure, and there is little research on multiple cells. This review represented the typical structural design of tubular SOFC, and classified the geometry of tubular SOFC and the material types of battery supports, including anode supported type, cathode supported type, ceramic tube supported type, and metal/cermet supported type according to the battery support materials. The bamboo round tube, bamboo flat tube, single-section round tube and single-section flat tube structure were classified according to the geometry of the tubular SOFC. Also, a small-sized microtubule SOFC was introduced, having a higher power density, compared to large-sized tubular batteries due to their smaller size. Also, the common materials and preparation methods of tubular SOFC were reviewed, for instance, high-temperature sintering method and spraying method. Finally, the further development on tubular SOFC was prospected.Summary and Prospects The main feature of tubular SOFC is its relatively easy high-temperature sealing performance and low thermal stress during stack integration and operation. Each type of tubular battery structures has its own unique characteristics. In general, multi-section tubular structures are more suitable for the construction of high-power power plants, while single section tubular batteries are more suitable for small systems. At present, regardless of the structure of a single cell, there is already a relatively mature material system that can achieve a stable battery performance. The existing work mainly focus on the development and preparation of new materials, process optimization, and the development of different hydrocarbon fuel cells. Among the tubular battery supports, round tube multi-section and flat tube multi-section batteries are more suitable for single tube high-power output. The mainstream of this multi-section design battery is a single tube output of over 100 W, which is more suitable for large distributed functional systems. In addition, tubular batteries with metal or metal ceramic support structures can significantly improve the startup speed of SOFC. Tubular batteries can also be used as electrolytic cells due to the reversible structure of SOFC and SOEC. This type of battery with a fast start-up speed is more suitable for coupling with photovoltaic and wind power, achieving an efficient energy utilization. For cylindrical multi-cell batteries, one battery tube is equivalent to a stack, so the manufacturing process of tubular batteries is relatively complex, and their commercialization process lags behind that of flat panel batteries. For battery stacks, there are some issues such as battery array arrangement, heat exchange, and airflow distribution. At present, there are not many publicly reported experimental data, a further experimental research is thus needed. Although there are still some challenges for tubular SOFC, the performance, stability, and reliability of SOFC can be improved through the development of novel materials and technological innovations, thereby enhancing their application prospects in the field of sustainable energy and enabling commercial SOFC technology to be implemented.