The research methods and progress of hydrogen permeation were reviewed. The current research on hydrogen damage mechanism and the hydrogen permeation behavior in harsh environment as well as the factors affecting hydrogen behavior were summarized. On the basis of these studies, many hydrogen permeation protection technologies were developed at home and abroad, such as hindering the infiltration of hydrogen atoms into the matrix, preparing coatings on the surface of the material; eliminating the harmful elements in the steel, decreasing the quantity of hydrogen traps; and develop high-purity, anti-hydrogen embrittlement steels like ferrite alloy steel by changing microstructure. The development from the traditional electrodeposited hydrogen-barrier alloy coating to the new process of hydrogen-blocking ceramic layer was summarized. The hydrogen-blocking coating had the advantages of excellent hydrogen barrier performance and excellent matrix protection, but it was also easy to fail and accelerate corrosion after damage. The ultra-high clean steel purified by metallurgical and heat treatment method and developed by changing microstructure has either poor anti-hydrogen embrittlement performance or unsatisfied mechanical property, and the control process was complex with huge energy consumption. Therefore, once hydrogen enters the metal material, the performance damage of the material is inevitable, and preventing hydrogen from entering the metal material is a key scientific problem in this field. Hydrogen permeation process is a key step in the occurrence of hydrogen damage, so hindering the hydrogen permeation process has become the most important protection measure for hydrogen damage. To suppress the hydrogen permeation process, effective hydrogen suppression methods should be developed from two aspects: reducing the concentration gradient of hydrogen atoms and the density of hydrogen traps and binding energy inside the material, so as to suppress the hydrogen permeation process and make the hydrogen atom concentration inside the material less than the critical hydrogen atom concentration.