Platensimycin, an active metabolite of Streptomyces platensis, was initially discovered by a combination of RNA interferin induced gene-silencing and library screening to microbial extracts. Platensimycin selectively inhibits beta - ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase II (FabF) that is recognized as an effective broad-spectrum antibiotic against drug-resistant microorganism strains. Its novel scaffold and extraordinary antibacterial activity have drawn great attentions in recent years. So far, a number of synthetic strategies have been explored for the total synthesis of platensimycin. Moreover, many analogues have been investigated in terms of structure-activity relationships (SAR). This review provides a detailed overview of updated studies on platensimycin, focusing on various total and formal synthetic strategies, development of analogues, and the structure-activity relationships.