As one of the research hotspots in the field of pumps, cavitation detection plays an important role in equipment maintenance and cost-saving. Based on this, this paper analyzes detection methods of cavitation faults based on different signals, including vibration signals, acoustic emission signals, noise signals, and pressure pulsation signals. First, the principle of each detection method is introduced. Then, the research status of the four detection methods is summarized from the aspects of cavitation-induced signal characteristics, signal processing methods, feature extraction, intelligent algorithm identification of cavitation state, detection efficiency, and measurement point distribution position. Among these methods, we focus on the most widely used one, the vibration method. The advantages and disadvantages of various detection methods are analyzed and proposed: acoustic methods including noise and acoustic emission can detect early cavitation very well; the vibration method is usually chosen first due to its universality; the anti-interference ability of the pressure pulsation method is relatively strong. Finally, the development trend of detecting cavitation faults based on signals is given: continue to optimize the existing detection methods; intelligent algorithms such as reinforcement learning and deep reinforcement learning will be gradually integrated into the field of cavitation status identification in the future; detection systems still need to be further improved to accommodate different types of pumps; advanced sensing devices combined with advanced signal processing techniques are one of the effective means to detect cavitation in a timely manner; draw on other fault detection methods such as bearing faults and motor faults.