In last decades there was an extensive research activity on the development of self lubricating coatings based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD-based). These coatings have been used as low friction solutions for diverse applications, especially in the aerospace and automobile industries. The low friction property of TMD-based coatings is associated with the easy shear tribolayers formation through a self-adaption process, which is a well-established concept in literature. In this talk, we will present the basis of this self-adaption process as well as the mechanisms governing the tribolayer formation which provides the low friction. We will discuss the suitability of these coatings for providing low friction as a function of the sliding conditions. Examples will be shown concerning the contact against metallic and ceramic materials where extremely low friction values (<0.01) could be achieved in very long duration pin-on-disk tests (<1 million cycles). Moreover, we will show that for low contact pressures (~50 MPa) the activation of the self-adaption process is more difficult with repercussions in the increase of the friction coefficient.