%0 Journal Article %T Applications of nanolasers %J - %D 2018 %R https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-018-0320-y %X Nanolasers generate coherent light at the nanoscale. In the past decade, they have attracted intense interest, because they are more compact, faster and more power-efficient than conventional lasers. Thanks to these capabilities, nanolasers are now an emergent tool for a variety of practical applications. In this Review, we explain the intrinsic merits of nanolasers and assess recent progress on their applications, particularly for optical interconnects, near-field spectroscopy and sensing, optical probing for biological systems and far-field beam synthesis through near-field eigenmode engineering. We highlight the scientific and engineering challenges that remain for forging nanolasers into powerful tools for nanoscience and nanotechnology %U https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-018-0320-y