Charybdis IRCd vs InspIRCd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
InspIRCd
Modular C++ Internet Relay Chat daemon
| Feature | Charybdis IRCd | InspIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 7 · At risk | 84 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 230 | ★ 1,347 |
| First released | 2008 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Charybdis IRCd and InspIRCd?
Charybdis IRCd
Charybdis is an IRCv3-capable IRC server daemon descended from ratbox, designed to power large IRC networks. It has been used as the basis for several other IRC server projects and is fully self-hostable.
- IRCv3-capable IRC server
- Designed for large networks
- Basis for other IRC daemons
InspIRCd
InspIRCd is a modular, high-performance IRC server written in C++. Its plugin-based architecture lets administrators enable only the features they need for their network.
- Modular plugin architecture
- Lightweight and fast
- Supports large IRC networks
- Cross-platform
Charybdis IRCd vs InspIRCd: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Charybdis IRCd's repository is archived and no longer developed, while InspIRCd is actively maintained. Charybdis IRCd is written in C, while InspIRCd is built with C++. InspIRCd is the more established project (first released 2002), while Charybdis IRCd arrived in 2008. InspIRCd has the considerably larger community, at 1,347 GitHub stars versus 230. InspIRCd lists first-class Docker deployment; Charybdis IRCd does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Charybdis IRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose InspIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Watch out for
- Configuration is XML-based
- IRC-only
Frequently asked questions
Is Charybdis IRCd or InspIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. InspIRCd has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Charybdis IRCd and InspIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Charybdis IRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and InspIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Charybdis IRCd and InspIRCd with Docker?
Charybdis IRCd: check the project docs for container support. InspIRCd: yes.