Post-translation modifications (PTMs) are considered to have the effect of changing the stability and activity of proteins, which is one of the important steps to regulate the biological function of proteins, and widely exists in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. PTMs plays a crucial role in regulating bacterial life activities, such as metabolism, signal transduction, pathogenic process, and so on. In this review, we summarized the main types and functions of PTMs in bacteria, the regulation mechanism of PTMs in bacterial virulence and adaptability, the way that bacterial effectors regulates host proteins through PTMs, and the new progress of PTMs detection technology. The study of PTMs are of great significance to understand the bacterial pathogenesis and the bacteria-host interactions. Meanwhile, this study can also provide a new target for the development of specific therapeutic drugs.