Charybdis IRCd vs Solanum
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 | Solanum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 7 · At risk | 71 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 230 | ★ 262 |
| First released | 2008 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Charybdis IRCd and Solanum?
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
Solanum
Solanum is an IRCv3 server daemon descended from the Charybdis lineage. It is the software that powers the Libera.Chat IRC network and is suitable for running large IRC infrastructures.
- Powers Libera.Chat
- IRCv3 protocol support
- Scales to large networks
- Charybdis-derived codebase
Charybdis IRCd vs Solanum: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Charybdis IRCd's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Solanum is actively maintained. Both projects are written in C. Charybdis IRCd is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Solanum. Charybdis IRCd is the more established project (first released 2008), while Solanum arrived in 2020.
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 Solanum if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Charybdis IRCd or Solanum better?
Neither is universally better. Solanum has the larger community, while Charybdis IRCd is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Charybdis IRCd and Solanum free and open-source?
Yes. Charybdis IRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Solanum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Charybdis IRCd and Solanum with Docker?
Charybdis IRCd: check the project docs for container support. Solanum: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Charybdis IRCd or Solanum?
Charybdis IRCd has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Solanum. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.