The template-directed strategy is a powerful method to construct porphyrin nanorings with high complexities, wherein metalloporphyrin precursors pre-organize via supramolecular interactions of the porphyrin or its central metal with a carefully selected template, and then react with each other to deliver a final cyclic multiporphyrin structure. In this article, we review the recent breakthroughs in the template-directed synthesis methods and new structures of porphyrin or metalloporphyrin nanorings, as well as their applications in host-guest chemistry and artificial light-harvesting.