Eye-safe 1550-nm laser is located in an excellent atmospheric transmission window and detection-sensitive region of Ge and InGaAs photodiodes operating at room temperature. Therefore, such laser can be widely used in many fields, including lidar, laser ranging, and remote sensing. Diode-pumped Er ³⁺-doped crystals are considered as an effective method for directly obtaining the compact 1550-nm all-solid-state laser. In this paper, recent research progress in 1550-nm all-solid-state lasers based on Er ³⁺-doped crystals is reviewed. Moreover, further development of 1550-nm all-solid-state lasers is discussed.