The tendancy to miniaturisation in analytical instrumentation can be seen in the increasing number of papers devoted to the subject. UV-VIS and NIR spectroscopy are good examples of this tendancy, both for complete spectrometers and for components. Small dimensions, low cost and good performance instruments performing multivariate data treatment can be used to solve difficult analytical problems, which cannot be further solved by traditionl calibration curves based on the Beer-Lambert law. In this paper, commercial instruments and components are described, advantages and drawbacks of miniature spectrometers are underlined. Technical data and possible applications can be accessed from internet sites of manufacturers without any delay and at the cost of a telephone call.