A review is given of the main features of dissipative optical solitons – structures of light in nonlinear media and systems localized due to the balance between the energy inflow and outflow. Demonstrated are: threshold-like type of their birth, the existence of nonvortical and vortex forms, their internal structures connected with the energy flows topology, variants of their weak and strong interactions, different mechanisms of their motion, interaction with inhomogeneities, systems of planetary type. The analogy with some features of typhoons allows the possibility to consider them as dissipative solitons.