Physics of optical recording is the branch of physics dealing with the physical phenomena and devices for the information recording by means of light. Its origin takes place in the 19th century when photography was invented . However, a steady increase of the physics of optical recording took place only in 1960 when the laser was created. The concepts of optical signal and the information carried by it are the basic to this course. The following questions are considered in the course concerning to the information recording. Digital and parallel optical recording. The main photoinduced processes in the matter. The foundations of nonlinear optics. Photography. Lasers, their operation and construction principles and the main characteristics. Manipulation of the laser light. Foundations of holography, including dynamic, polarization and temporal holography.Requirements to optical recording materials. Fourier optics. Photodetectors. Digital photothermal recording:CD, DVD, Blu Ray. Magnetooptical recording. Near-field optical recording. Luminescent recording. Optical recording in quantum information.