We will discuss the tree property, a compactness principle which can hold at successor cardinals such as \(\aleph_2\) or \(\aleph_3\). For a regular cardinal \(\kappa\), we say that \(\kappa\) has the tree property if there are no \(\kappa\)-Aronszajn trees. It is known that the tree property has the following non-trivial effect on the continuum function:
(*) If the tree property holds at \(\kappa^{++}\), then \(2^\kappa > \kappa^+\).
After defining the key notions, we will review some basic constructions related to the tree property and state some original results regarding the tree property which suggest that (*) is the only restriction which the tree property puts on the continuum function in addition to the usual restrictions provable in ZFC.