Type IV pili are remarkably strong, flexible filaments with varied roles in bacterial pathogenicity. All Gram-negative bacterial surfaces have type IV pili, which are polymeric assemblies of the protein pilin that evoke the host immune response and are potential drug and vaccine targets. Pilin structures that have been solved using X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance, together with models for pilus architectures inferred from electron microscopy, fibre diffraction and computation, have established a molecular basis for assembly and multi-functionality, with implications for therapeutic interventions.