The equation of state for compact stars is reviewed with special emphasis on
the role of strange hadrons, strange dibaryons and strange quark matter.
Implications for the properties of compact stars are presented. The importance
of neutron star data to constrain the properties of hypothetic particles and
the possible existence of exotic phases in dense matter is outlined. We also
discuss the growing interplay between astrophysics and heavy-ion physics.Comment: invited talk given at Strange Quark Matter 2001, Frankfurt, Germany,
8 pages, uses iopart.cls, minor modifications, version to appear in J. Phys.