This review discusses the challenges and solutions for electrocatalysts in alkaline media for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Alkaline HER faces challenges due to slower reaction kinetics and lower performance of traditional catalysts compared to acidic conditions. The review highlights the need for catalysts with optimized active sites, electronic structures, and morphologies to enhance HER efficiency. It covers the fundamentals of HER in alkaline media, the requirements for efficient catalysts, and the challenges in catalyst design. The review also discusses the synthesis of advanced nanostructures based on carbon, noble, and inexpensive metals, and their heterogeneous structures, which are ideal for studying the role of structure and synergy in HER catalysis. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the reaction mechanisms and the factors controlling the reaction rate on catalyst surfaces. The review also discusses the development of non-noble metal catalysts and their heterostructures, which offer cost-effective alternatives to traditional catalysts. The review concludes with future perspectives on improving catalyst performance through surface chemistry tuning and the development of new materials for efficient HER in alkaline media.This review discusses the challenges and solutions for electrocatalysts in alkaline media for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Alkaline HER faces challenges due to slower reaction kinetics and lower performance of traditional catalysts compared to acidic conditions. The review highlights the need for catalysts with optimized active sites, electronic structures, and morphologies to enhance HER efficiency. It covers the fundamentals of HER in alkaline media, the requirements for efficient catalysts, and the challenges in catalyst design. The review also discusses the synthesis of advanced nanostructures based on carbon, noble, and inexpensive metals, and their heterogeneous structures, which are ideal for studying the role of structure and synergy in HER catalysis. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the reaction mechanisms and the factors controlling the reaction rate on catalyst surfaces. The review also discusses the development of non-noble metal catalysts and their heterostructures, which offer cost-effective alternatives to traditional catalysts. The review concludes with future perspectives on improving catalyst performance through surface chemistry tuning and the development of new materials for efficient HER in alkaline media.