Charybdis IRCd vs ngIRCd
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 | ngIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 7 · At risk | 76 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 230 | ★ 578 |
| First released | 2008 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack |
What are Charybdis IRCd and ngIRCd?
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
ngIRCd
ngIRCd is a free, portable, and lightweight IRC server for small to mid-sized networks. It focuses on simplicity, low resource use, and a straightforward configuration file.
- Very low resource use
- Simple configuration
- IPv6 and TLS support
- No external dependencies
Charybdis IRCd vs ngIRCd: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Charybdis IRCd's repository is archived and no longer developed, while ngIRCd is actively maintained. Both projects are written in C. NgIRCd is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for Charybdis IRCd. NgIRCd is the more established project (first released 2001), while Charybdis IRCd arrived in 2008. NgIRCd has the considerably larger community, at 578 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 ngIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Charybdis IRCd or ngIRCd better?
ngIRCd is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Charybdis IRCd if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Charybdis IRCd and ngIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Charybdis IRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ngIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Charybdis IRCd and ngIRCd with Docker?
Charybdis IRCd: check the project docs for container support. ngIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Charybdis IRCd or ngIRCd?
ngIRCd 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.