  In the last decade there has been a remarkable increase in our knowledge
about core-collapse supernovae (CC-SNe), and the birthplace of neutron stars,
from both the observational and the theoretical point of view. Since the
1930's, with the first systematic supernova search, the techniques for
discovering and studying extragalactic SNe have improved. Many SNe have been
observed, and some of them, have been followed through efficiently and with
detail. Furthermore, there has been a significant progress in the theoretical
modelling of the scenario, boosted by the arrival of new generations of
supercomputers that have allowed to perform multidimensional numerical
simulations with unprecedented detail and realism. The joint work of
observational and theoretical studies of individual SNe over the whole range of
the electromagnetic spectrum has allowed to derive physical parameters, which
constrain the nature of the progenitor, and the composition and structure of
the star's envelope at the time of the explosion. The observed properties of a
CC-SN are an imprint of the physical parameters of the explosion such as mass
of the ejecta, kinetic energy of the explosion, the mass loss rate, or the
structure of the star before the explosion. In this chapter, we review the
current status of SNe observations and theoretical modelling, the connection
with their progenitor stars, and the properties of the neutron stars left
behind.
