Bioinformatics is one of most active fields in life science. In recent years, various bioinformatics databases have appeared. The size of the database has grown explosively, and the structure of database has been more complex. Now most databases are severed through the internet. The progress in algorithm and software, integration of database and server-client structure make bioinformatics the powerful tool in biology, medicine and agriculture. In 1996 the first network-based bioinformatics server in China was established in Institute of Physical Chemistry, Peking University. Via the Internet, more than 70 000 scientist from all over the world have been served by the server.