Zeolite imidazolate framework (ZIF) is one of the subclasses of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that has been widely investigated in the last decade. Among the ZIF members, a particular interest has been devoted to ZIF-8 due to various factors, such as mild and fast synthesis conditions, framework stability and the right pore aperture to perform various separations. Recently, there has also been growing interest in developing ZIF-8 as a thin layer membrane on polymeric substrates as they are considerably cheaper than the inorganic ones. This review then discusses recent advances in this field, focusing on various fabrication strategies and promising future applications. The challenges and future perspectives are also discussed with an emphasis on employing this approach in industrial scale. (c) 2020 Society of Chemical Industry