This review deals with the succession of processes of void nucleation growth and linkage which lead to ductile fracture. The experimental evidence is related to simple theoretical models which permit the process of damage accumulation which constitutes ductile fracture to be considered for a variety of stress states. In order to indicate the competition between ductile fracture and other failure modes a series of failure maps for axi-symmetric deformation are presented. In the final section of the paper the process of damage accumulation in some forming processes is considered. The review emphasizes the combined influence of microstructural parameters and stress state needed to give a comprehensive description of ductile fracture.