This paper reviews the research and application progress of four types of on-site rapid detection methods for explosives （chromatography-mass spectrometry coupling， spectroscopic analysis， ion mobility spectrometry， and chemical sensing）， analyzes and summarizes their suitable targets， advantages， and limitations， and provides an outlook on their development directions. Among chromatography-mass spectrometry coupling technologies， gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） offers high sensitivity and are suitable for volatile and thermally stable explosives. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （LC-MS） requires stringent operating conditions but are suitable for most inorganic and organic explosives. Among spectroscopic techniques， Raman spectroscopy requires only a small sample amount and are simple to operate， but it poses explosion risks for highly sensitive explosives. Terahertz spectroscopy （THz） is safer and has strong penetration， but it is easily influenced by environmental factors and is suitable for explosives with characteristic absorption peaks. Ion mobility spectrometry （IMS） provides low detection limit and rapid response， but they are difficult to balance resolution and sensitivity， making it more appropriate for volatile explosives. Among chemical sensing technologies， fluorescence probe methods show high sensitivity， good selectivity， and visualization capabilities， but they are susceptible to interference and relatively complex to operate. Chemical colorimetric methods are simple， inexpensive， and fast-responding but are easily interfered with and mostly limited to the visible light. Both methods are only suitable for specific explosives. By analyzing and comparing existing technologies， it is proposed that future research should focus on the integration of multiple technologies， device miniaturization， enhancement of anti-interference capability， and optimization of multi-target detection capabilities， in order to improve the anti-interference performance， on-site rapid detection of multiple targets， and intelligence level of detection methods， providing a reference for perfecting on-site explosive detection technology and ensuring the effective implementation of safety and security measures.