Currently, the internationally recognized antiviral therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B includes two major classes of drugs: interferons and nucleoside (acid) analogues. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and patients need to be properly informed about the principles by which they should be selected! Interferon is mainly used to stimulate the patient’s immunity to obtain antiviral efficacy, so the efficacy is stable and not easy to relapse after stopping the drug, the course of treatment is generally 1 year, there is no resistance problem. After interferon treatment, the serological conversion rate of e antigen and the clearance rate of surface antigen are significantly higher, the incidence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma is reduced, and the prognosis is improved. When pegylated interferon alpha was given for 1 year, 43% of e antigen-positive patients were able to obtain e antigen serologic conversion 1 year after discontinuation, and about 42% of e antigen-negative patients maintained hepatitis B virus DNA <10000< span=""> copies/ml (equivalent to 2000 IU/ml) after discontinuation. Clearance of surface antigen can even occur in 3-8% of these patients. Nucleoside (acid) drugs have strong antiviral activity and can quickly inhibit viral replication, resulting in a significant decrease in the replication level of hepatitis B virus DNA in the majority of patients, which can improve the disease relatively quickly. Long-term use of nucleoside (acid) drugs can slow down disease progression, reduce liver function loss and liver cancer incidence, and improve liver function and prolong survival after treatment with nucleoside (acid) drugs in the middle and late stages of cirrhosis. However, the serological conversion rate of e antigen of nucleoside (acid) drugs is lower than that of interferon, and even if the transaminases are normalized and the virus is not detected during the treatment period, there is still a high possibility of relapse after stopping the drugs for a variable period of time. Therefore, nucleoside (acid) analogs need to be taken for a longer period of time to maintain their efficacy in order to have an antiviral effect. Each patient is different and has different requirements, and it is not possible to say absolutely which drug is the most appropriate. When choosing a drug, it is often necessary to consider age, the degree of liver disease, past treatment, reproductive needs, future life pursuits, working conditions and economic conditions. In general, the interferon class can be chosen first because of the short course of treatment and relatively stable efficacy. Interferon treatment of e antigen positive patients has a higher chance of response if the hepatitis B virus DNA is <2×108 IU/ml before treatment, the alanine aminotransferase level is high (>2-5 times the upper limit of normal), the hepatitis B virus genotype is A or B, and liver puncture biopsy suggests more than grade 2 liver inflammation. If the patient is young or middle-aged, less likely to accept long-term medication, especially young men and women who have not yet had children, and who wish to obtain a stable outcome after discontinuation, then treatment with interferon that can be discontinued for a short period of time would be a better choice. It is important to note that people with the following conditions should consult their doctor in detail before using interferon: pregnancy, history of psychiatric disorders (such as major depression), uncontrolled epilepsy, unabated alcohol or drug abuse, uncontrolled autoimmune diseases, decompensated cirrhosis, symptomatic heart disease, etc.