Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is the typical sulfation glycosaminoglycan and widely applied in the industries of pharmaceutical, health products and cosmetic for its peculiar properties. CS is the main component of cartilage proteoglycans in animal and capsular polysaccharide in a few bacteria. CS can be extracted from animal sources and produced via microbial fermentation. In this article, development of chondroitin sulfate by fermentation, biosynthesis and regulating mechanisms of CS in bacteria are described. Furthermore, prospect and tendency of chondroitin sulfate from bacterial fermentation are addressed.