Autophagy is a process where cytosolic components and organelles are enclosed within double-membrane vesicles, which then deliver their contents to the lysosome/vacuole for degradation and recycling. It plays crucial roles in cellular stress responses, developmental pathways, tumor suppression, pathogen resistance, and lifespan extension. However, autophagy may also be associated with certain myopathies and neurodegenerative conditions. Significant progress has been made in identifying the proteins involved in autophagy and understanding its molecular basis, but many questions remain. For example, the target of Atg1 kinase is unknown, and the mechanism of vesicle formation and donor membrane origin are not fully understood. The roles of lipases in lysosomal/vacuolar degradation and the maintenance of lysosomal/vacuolar membrane integrity during degradation are also unclear. The article discusses the induction, cargo selection, vesicle nucleation, expansion, retrieval, targeting, docking, fusion, and breakdown of autophagosomes, highlighting the current knowledge and unresolved issues in each step of the process.Autophagy is a process where cytosolic components and organelles are enclosed within double-membrane vesicles, which then deliver their contents to the lysosome/vacuole for degradation and recycling. It plays crucial roles in cellular stress responses, developmental pathways, tumor suppression, pathogen resistance, and lifespan extension. However, autophagy may also be associated with certain myopathies and neurodegenerative conditions. Significant progress has been made in identifying the proteins involved in autophagy and understanding its molecular basis, but many questions remain. For example, the target of Atg1 kinase is unknown, and the mechanism of vesicle formation and donor membrane origin are not fully understood. The roles of lipases in lysosomal/vacuolar degradation and the maintenance of lysosomal/vacuolar membrane integrity during degradation are also unclear. The article discusses the induction, cargo selection, vesicle nucleation, expansion, retrieval, targeting, docking, fusion, and breakdown of autophagosomes, highlighting the current knowledge and unresolved issues in each step of the process.