This chapter provides a comprehensive review of the state of visible-near infrared (vis-NIR) spectroscopy in soil science. The authors describe the fundamentals of visible and infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and spectroscopic multivariate calibrations. They review the past and current role of vis-NIR in soil analysis, focusing on important soil attributes such as soil organic matter (SOM), minerals, texture, nutrients, water, pH, and heavy metals. The performance and generalization capacity of vis-NIR calibrations are discussed, with a particular emphasis on sample pre-treatments, co-variations in data sets, and mathematical data preprocessing. The chapter also considers the potential for field vis-NIR measurements and strategies for practical implementation. Finally, the authors provide a synthesis and discuss future directions for vis-NIR spectroscopy in soil science, emphasizing the need for more collaborative and strategic research.This chapter provides a comprehensive review of the state of visible-near infrared (vis-NIR) spectroscopy in soil science. The authors describe the fundamentals of visible and infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and spectroscopic multivariate calibrations. They review the past and current role of vis-NIR in soil analysis, focusing on important soil attributes such as soil organic matter (SOM), minerals, texture, nutrients, water, pH, and heavy metals. The performance and generalization capacity of vis-NIR calibrations are discussed, with a particular emphasis on sample pre-treatments, co-variations in data sets, and mathematical data preprocessing. The chapter also considers the potential for field vis-NIR measurements and strategies for practical implementation. Finally, the authors provide a synthesis and discuss future directions for vis-NIR spectroscopy in soil science, emphasizing the need for more collaborative and strategic research.