Charybdis IRCd 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 | Charybdis IRCd | Hookshot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 7 · At risk | 79 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| 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 | ★ 230 | ★ 453 |
| First released | 2008 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack |
What are Charybdis IRCd and Hookshot?
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
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
Charybdis IRCd vs Hookshot: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Charybdis IRCd's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Hookshot is actively maintained. Charybdis IRCd is written in C, while Hookshot is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Charybdis IRCd versus Apache-2.0 for Hookshot. Charybdis IRCd is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Hookshot. Charybdis IRCd is the more established project (first released 2008), while Hookshot arrived in 2021. Hookshot 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 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 Charybdis IRCd 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 Charybdis IRCd and Hookshot free and open-source?
Yes. Charybdis IRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Hookshot under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Charybdis IRCd and Hookshot with Docker?
Charybdis IRCd: check the project docs for container support. Hookshot: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Charybdis IRCd or Hookshot?
Charybdis IRCd 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.