Charybdis IRCd vs irssi
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 | irssi |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 230 | ★ 3,141 |
| First released | 2008 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack |
What are Charybdis IRCd and irssi?
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
irssi
irssi is a terminal-based IRC client known for its stability, scripting support, and clean interface. It can be combined with screen or tmux to act as a long-running session.
- Terminal interface
- Perl scripting
- Themeable display
- Long-running stability
Charybdis IRCd vs irssi: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Charybdis IRCd's repository is archived and no longer developed, while irssi is actively maintained. Both projects are written in C. Irssi is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for Charybdis IRCd. Irssi is the more established project (first released 1999), while Charybdis IRCd arrived in 2008. Irssi has the considerably larger community, at 3,141 GitHub stars versus 230.
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 irssi if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Charybdis IRCd or irssi better?
Neither is universally better. irssi has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Charybdis IRCd and irssi free and open-source?
Yes. Charybdis IRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and irssi under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Charybdis IRCd and irssi with Docker?
Charybdis IRCd: check the project docs for container support. irssi: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Charybdis IRCd or irssi?
irssi has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for Charybdis IRCd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.