Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy is widely used for measuring temperature and species concentration in reacting flows. This paper reviews the advances made over the last twelve years in the development and application of CARS spectroscopy in gas-phase reacting flows. The advent of high-power nanosecond (ns) lasers and off-the-shelf compact picosecond (ps) and femtosecond (ps) lasers is enabling the rapid expansion of the application of single-shot or high-bandwidth CARS spectroscopy in a way that would have been quite unimaginable two decades ago. Furthermore, compact ps lasers are paving the way for the development of a fiber-based CARS system for use in harsh environments. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of recent progresses in ns-, ps-, and fs-CARS spectroscopy for gas-phase thermometry and species-concentration measurements since the second edition of A.C. Eckbreth's book entitled Loser Diagnostics for Combustion Temperature and Species, which was published in 1996. During the last two decades, four encompassing issues have driven the fundamental development and application of CARS spectroscopy in reacting flows: 1) measurement of temperature and concentration of multiple species with one CARS system, 2) extension of the application of traditional ns-CARS to challenging reacting flow environments. 3) performance of nonresonant background-free and collision-free measurements in high-pressure reacting flows, and 4) measurement of temperature and species concentration at high bandwidth, typically 1 kHz or greater, to address the instability and transient phenomena associated with turbulent reacting flows in the combustors and augmentors of modern propulsion systems. This review is focused on identifying and discussing the recent results of gas-phase CARS spectroscopy related to the four issues mentioned above. The feasibility of performing high-bandwidth CARS spectroscopy with one laser beam as well as the potential of tailored fs lasers for thermometry and species-concentration measurements in gas-phase reacting flows are also discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.