The power of diode-pumped alkali laser (DPAL) with high power has reached 10 kW and shows great potential because of its high optical-optical conversion efficiency, light weight, small size and so on. Alkali vapor lasers are under extensive investigation and development during the past decade because of their potential for scaling to high power and maintaining good beam quality. First, the basic principles and research development of DPAL are introduced. Then, a historical review of the alkali laser research and development, and the most important achievements and future perspectives in this field, are presented. Besides, the obstacles in research are analyzed. The solutions are summarized and their deficiencies are presented. Finally, the future development of alkali vapor laser is discussed.