Fiber optical spectral-domain white-light interferometry (WLI) has the advantages of high precision, large dynamic range and engineering practicability, and it has been found widely applications in fiber optical sensing and precision measurement. In this paper, we review the development of fiber optical spectral-domain white-light interferometry, and focus on our work about the fiber optical spectral-domain WLI based on phase measurement technology, including the Fourier transform WLI and relative measurement, wavelength scanning WLI, phase-shifted WLI, stepped phase-shifted WLI, wavenumber scanning WLI, and cross-correlation WLI. Applications of this technology in fiber optic temperature, pressure, and strain sensors are demonstrated.