We review the emergence and development of integrated photonics and its status today. The treatise is focused on information and communications technology (ICT) applications, but the technology is generically employable for a wealth of other applications, such as sensors. General properties of the waveguides that form the basis of integrated photonics are reviewed, and several examples of integrated photonics based on silicon and plasmonics are presented. The all-important development of integrated low-power nanophotonics is discussed and current challenges and prospects of the field are elucidated. The treatment is focused on the photonic fabric between source and detector.