Abstract Clustering refers to the task of identifying groups or clusters in a data set. In density‐based clustering , a cluster is a set of data objects spread in the data space over a contiguous region of high density of objects. Density‐based clusters are separated from each other by contiguous regions of low density of objects. Data objects located in low‐density regions are typically considered noise or outliers. In this review article we discuss the statistical notion of density‐based clusters, classic algorithms for deriving a flat partitioning of density‐based clusters, methods for hierarchical density‐based clustering, and methods for semi‐supervised clustering. We conclude with some open challenges related to density‐based clustering. This article is categorized under: Technologies > Data Preprocessing Ensemble Methods > Structure Discovery Algorithmic Development > Hierarchies and Trees