Charybdis IRCd vs ircd-hybrid
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Charybdis IRCd | ircd-hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 7 · At risk | 69 · Good |
| 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 | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 230 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2008 | 1997 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Charybdis IRCd and ircd-hybrid?
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
ircd-hybrid
ircd-hybrid is a long-standing IRC server daemon known for stability and a lightweight footprint. It supports modern IRC features and modular extensions, and can be self-hosted to run an IRC network.
- Stable lightweight IRC daemon
- Modular extensions
- Long-standing project
Charybdis IRCd vs ircd-hybrid: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Charybdis IRCd's repository is archived and no longer developed, while ircd-hybrid is actively maintained. Both projects are written in C. Ircd-hybrid is the more established project (first released 1997), while Charybdis IRCd arrived in 2008.
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 ircd-hybrid if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Charybdis IRCd or ircd-hybrid better?
Neither is universally better. Charybdis IRCd has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Charybdis IRCd and ircd-hybrid free and open-source?
Yes. Charybdis IRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ircd-hybrid under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Charybdis IRCd and ircd-hybrid with Docker?
Charybdis IRCd: check the project docs for container support. ircd-hybrid: check the project docs for container support.