The glycosylation modification of virus structural protein is implicated in virus replication and virus invasion of host cells. For host, in virus infection and host antiviral processes, the host glycosylation process can, on the one hand, inhibit virus replication and invasion, on the other hand promote the virus infection of the host. For virus, as virus lacks glycosylation modification system, viral glycosylation modification process exploits the synthesis system of the host cells. The glycosylation modification of virus plays an important role in viral protein folding, virus infection and invasion of the host, virus recognition of host cell receptors, and is involved in virus immune escape. With the development of glycosylation investigation technology, glycosylation-based functional applications are becoming more and more intensive: such as the development of new viral vaccines and novel antiviral drugs, mass spectrometry and bioinformatic techniques based on glycoprotein proteomics studies, and the application of glycosylation for viral disease diagnosis and treatment, which lay the foundation for further development of glycosylation research. Here we reviewed the virus and host cell glycosylation modification and its related functions and its application.