Kidney disease is a global public health problem affecting millions of people, and the prevalence rate has increased rapidly in recent years. At present, among the various protective measures for the kidney, its efficacy or availability is limited, so there is an urgent need for more measures to protect the kidney. Sphingolipids and sphingolipid metabolites have attracted much attention because they play an important role in renal diseases. Sphingosine 1-phosphate (Sphingosine-1-phosphate,S1P), as a strong bioactive sphingolipid, is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of acute renal injury, diabetic nephropathy, recovery of renal graft function, chronic kidney disease and so on. This paper reviews the protective effect and significance of S1P in renal disease and the research progress of related signal pathway, which is of great significance in preventing the incidence of renal disease and reducing mortality.