Ferroptosis is a new type of iron-dependent programmed cell death, which is different from apoptosis, necrosis and pyrodeath. Its main characteristics are iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Studies have shown that ferroptosis plays an important role in kidney related diseases such as acute kidney injury and renal cancer, whereas its exact mechanism has not been fully revealed. With the development of the research on the mechanism of iron death, ferroptosis shows a good application prospect in the treatment of renal diseases. In this paper, the mechanism of ferroptosis and the research progress in renal related diseases are reviewed, in order to provide new ideas and research directions for the treatment of renal related diseases.