Anope vs Hookshot
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Anope | Hookshot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 77 · Good | 79 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 365 | ★ 453 |
| First released | 2003 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack |
What are Anope and Hookshot?
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
Hookshot
Hookshot is a Matrix integration bridge that connects rooms to GitHub, GitLab, Jira, RSS feeds, and generic webhooks. It lets teams receive and act on notifications inside Matrix.
- GitHub, GitLab and Jira integration
- Generic inbound and outbound webhooks
- RSS and Atom feed support
- Interactive notification actions
Anope vs Hookshot: key differences
Anope is written in C++, while Hookshot is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Anope versus Apache-2.0 for Hookshot. Anope is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Hookshot. Anope is the more established project (first released 2003), while Hookshot arrived in 2021. Hookshot lists first-class Docker deployment; Anope does not.
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 Hookshot if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Requires a Matrix homeserver
- Configuration is YAML-heavy
Frequently asked questions
Is Anope or Hookshot better?
Neither is universally better. Hookshot has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Anope and Hookshot free and open-source?
Yes. Anope is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Hookshot under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anope and Hookshot with Docker?
Anope: check the project docs for container support. Hookshot: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Anope or Hookshot?
Anope has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Hookshot. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.