Resveratrol exhibits a range of biological activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anti-cancer properties, and the prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Structural modifications of resveratrol, such as hydroxylation, glycosylation, and methylation, have led to derivatives with improved solubility, stability, biocompatibility, and bioactivities. At present, resveratrol and its derivatives are widely applied in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industries. Traditionally, resveratrol and its derivatives have been produced by plant extraction. However, this approach is constrained by challenges such as low yield, longer cultivation periods, and susceptibility to climatic variations. In recent years, with the rapid development of synthetic biology, production of resveratrol and its derivatives by microbial cell factories using simple carbon sources has garnered significant attention and made great progress. This review summarizes the recent advances in microbial synthesis of resveratrol and its derivatives, putting emphasis on the application of advanced metabolic engineering strategies for constructing microbial cell factories, including enhancement of precursor supply, and mining, screening and optimization of enzymes for heterologous synthetic pathways. These efforts aim to provide valuable insights for large-scale bioproduction of resveratrol and its derivatives and demonstrate the potential of metabolic engineering in enabling efficient microbial production.