Frequency-swept fiber lasers have extremely important application values in the fields of fiber sensing, biomedical, and spectroscopy. The parameters such as the center wavelength, sweep speed, sweep range, and output power of the frequency-swept fiber laser determine the performance of the fiber sensing system and the biological imaging system. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the frequency-swept fiber laser and its various performance parameters. The frequency-swept fiber lasers currently studied can be divided into two major categories, one is based on dispersion-modulated frequency-swept fiber lasers, and the other one is based on optical filters. This article mainly introduces the research progress of the frequency-swept fiber laser based on the optical filter and the research results on various performance parameters. At the same time, it points out its existing problems and prospects the development of frequency-swept fiber lasers.