Molecular communication (MC) is a kind of communication technology based on biochemical molecules for internet of bio-nano things, in which the biochemical molecule is used as the information carrier for the interconnection of nano-devices. In this paper, the basic principle of diffusion based MC and the corresponding key technologies are comprehensively surveyed. In particular, the state-of-the-art achievements relative to the diffusion based MC are discussed and compared, including the system model, the system performance analysis with key influencing factors, the information coding and modulation techniques. Meanwhile, the multi-hop nano-network based on the diffusion MC is presented as well. Additionally, given the extensiveness of the research area, open issues and challenges are presented to spur future investigations, in which the involvement of channel model, information theory, self-organizing nano-network, and biochemical applications are put forward.