Coordination-driven assemblies based on meso-substituted porphyrins: Metal-organic cages and a new type of meso-metallaporphyrin macrocycles

•Coordination-driven self-assembly allows the formation of porphyrin-based cages and meso-metallaporphyrin macrocycles.•The factors that enable formation of multi-porphyrinic cages are discussed.•The applications of porphyrin cages in guest binding are presented.•Cavities of porphyrin cages are suitable platforms to mediate chemical reactions.•New metalloporphyrin analogues can be built using coordination bonds.