Anope vs Libervia
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Anope | Libervia |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 365 | ★ 50 |
| First released | 2003 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack, Facebook |
What are Anope and Libervia?
Anope
Anope is a set of IRC services that provides NickServ, ChanServ, and related registration features for IRC networks. It works with most major IRCd implementations and supports SQL and LDAP backends.
- NickServ and ChanServ
- Works with many IRCds
- SQL and LDAP integration
- Web panel available
Libervia
Libervia, formerly Salut a Toi, is a communication ecosystem built on XMPP that offers desktop, web, and command-line frontends. It supports chat, blogging, file sharing, and more over a single decentralized network.
- Multiple frontends on XMPP
- Blogging and file sharing
- End-to-end encryption
- Command-line interface
Anope vs Libervia: key differences
Anope is written in C++, while Libervia is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Anope versus AGPL-3.0 for Libervia. Anope is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Libervia. Anope is the more established project (first released 2003), while Libervia arrived in 2009. Anope has the considerably larger community, at 365 GitHub stars versus 50.
Why pick each one
Choose Anope if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Libervia if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Anope or Libervia better?
Anope is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Libervia if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Anope and Libervia free and open-source?
Yes. Anope is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Libervia under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anope and Libervia with Docker?
Anope: check the project docs for container support. Libervia: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Anope or Libervia?
Anope has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Libervia. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.