This work provides an overview of microbial proteomics with the aim of highlighting practical deliverables that can be applied to work in eukaryotic proteomes. It shows how accomplishments in this field have contributed to our understanding of genomic and cellular function, as well as modes of therapeutic action, drug toxicity and biomolecular interactions. Sections look at proteomics as applied to research in microbial physiology, model organism studies, microbes in agriculture, industry, and medicine, vaccinology, protein-protein networks, and mathematical modeling.