Anaerobic digestion (AD) has received an intensive interest for the elimination of biodegradable pollutants from complex agroindustrial effluents. When applied as a treatment technology, AD provides bio-fertilizers and bioenergy recovery through the production of biogas, a feature which renders it as valuable for agroindustrial applications. This review is focused on the anaerobic digestion of wastewaters derived from swine production (swine wastewaters) within a perspective of wastewater treatment and bioenergy production. Fundamental principles of AD as a microbiological process are described and microbial dynamics is assessed in terms of chemical and environmental aspects. The effect of important operating parameters is discussed in the context of anaerobic degradation of swine effluents, especially chemical factors and operational parameters and their relation with process stability and performance. Current trends and future achievements in AD research of swine effluents, namely co-digestion with carbon-rich substrates, integration with pretreatment methods, and process enhancement via the use of additives are discussed and analyzed. Finally, a brief outlook on biogas utilization is provided as a way of better understanding the future of AD as a biotechnology for on farm treatment of swine wastewater