There are many different types of cheese. Cheeses can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as length of fermentation, texture, methods of cheese baguette, fat content, animal milk, and country or region of origin.

The method most commonly and traditionally used is based on moisture content, which is then further narrowed down by fat content and curing or ripening methods. The combination of types produces around 51 different varieties recognized by the International Dairy Federation, over 400 identified by Walter and Hargrove, over 500 by Burkhalter, and over 1,000 by Sandine and Elliker. The main factor in categorizing these cheeses is age. Fresh cheeses without additional preservatives can spoil in a matter of days. For these simplest cheeses, milk is curdled and drained, with little other processing.

Whey cheeses are fresh cheeses made from whey, a by-product from the process of producing other cheeses which would otherwise be discarded. Stretched curd, for which the Italian term pasta filata is often used, is a group of cheeses where the hot curd is stretched, today normally mechanically, producing various effects. Swiss-type cheeses, also known as Alpine cheeses, are a group of hard or semi-hard cheeses with a distinct character, whose origins lie in the Alps of Europe, although they are now eaten and imitated in most cheesemaking parts of the world. The general eating characteristics of the Alpine cheeses are a firm but still elastic texture, flavor that is not sharp, acidic or salty, but rather nutty and buttery. When melted, which they often are in cooking, they are “gooey”, and “slick, stretchy and runny”. Categorizing cheeses by moisture content or firmness is a common but inexact practice.