For environmental protection and efficient utilization of oil resources, higher requirements for the selectivity, activity and stability of hydrotreating catalysts are proposed. To effectively solve this issue, the influence of structure and stability of active phase on catalytic performance of hydrotreating catalysts was reviewed. It was realized that the active phase structure essentially depends on the extent of metal-support interaction, and can be properly designed by adjusting catalyst preparation parameters (e.g. support properties and metal precursors in the impregnating solution) and sulfidation conditions (e.g. pressure, temperature and gas composition). As the hydrotreating conditions for gasoline, diesel and residue become severer, the active phase structures need much higher stability. The selectivity of gasoline hydrodesulfurization can be notably increased by selective post-treatment of the active phase structure. Well-dispersed active phase slabs with moderate metal-support interaction are needed for highly active and stable CoMo and NiMo diesel catalysts. New generation NiMo catalyst by strengthening metal-support interaction exhibits better residue hydrodesulfurization activity and stability.