This article gives a short summary of the performances of the electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRIS) so far built by the Grenoble laboratory; emphasis is given to the highBfield Caprice source, a compact in size source delivering high charge states and high intensities. Both the continuous regime of operation, and the pulsed regime having performances enhanced by the afterglow effect, as well as other noticeable effects, are surveyed. The next part of the article deals with the analysis of the data and our present understanding of the ECRIS behavior. At last the present trends of development of ECRIS are examined.