Abstract: Porous carbons are widely used in the field of electrochemical energy storage due to their light weight, large specific surface area, high electronic conductivity and structural stability. Over the past decades, the construction and functionalization of porous carbons have seen great progress. This review summarizes progress in the use of porous carbons in different energy storage devices, such as lithium-ion, lithium-oxygen, lithium-sulfur, and lithium-metal batteries for anode protection, sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries, supercapacitors and metal ion capacitors. Methods for the synthesis and functionalization of porous carbons are discussed and the effects of their pore texture on the electrochemical performance of different energy storage systems are outlined. Strategies for their structural control are proposed, and the challenges and prospects for their use in energy storage devices are discussed.