β-Carboline, a naturally occurring indole alkaloid, holds a momentous spot in the field of medicinal chemistry due to its myriad of pharmacological actions like anticancer, antiviral, antibacte-rial, antifungal, antileishmanial, antimalarial, neuropharmacological, anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic among others. β-Carbolines exhibit their pharmacological activity via diverse mechanisms. This review provides a recent update (2015-2020) on the anti-infective potential of natural and synthetic β-carboline analogs focusing on its antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antimalarial, antileishma-nial and antitrypanosomal properties. In cases where enough details are available, a note on its mechanism of action is also added. © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.