Charybdis IRCd vs Spacebar
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Spacebar
Self-hostable, open-source Discord-compatible chat backend
| Feature | Charybdis IRCd | Spacebar |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 7 · At risk | 83 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 230 | ★ 2,196 |
| First released | 2008 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Discord |
What are Charybdis IRCd and Spacebar?
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
Spacebar
Spacebar is a free, open-source, self-hostable chat platform that is compatible with the Discord client and API. It lets communities run their own Discord-like server infrastructure.
- Discord-API compatible
- Works with existing Discord clients
- Self-hosted communities
- Voice and text channels
Charybdis IRCd vs Spacebar: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Charybdis IRCd's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Spacebar is actively maintained. Charybdis IRCd is written in C, while Spacebar is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Charybdis IRCd versus AGPL-3.0 for Spacebar. Charybdis IRCd is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Spacebar. Charybdis IRCd is the more established project (first released 2008), while Spacebar arrived in 2021. Spacebar has the considerably larger community, at 2,196 GitHub stars versus 230. Spacebar 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 Spacebar if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Watch out for
- Still in heavy development
- Feature gaps versus Discord
Frequently asked questions
Is Charybdis IRCd or Spacebar better?
Neither is universally better. Spacebar 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 Spacebar free and open-source?
Yes. Charybdis IRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Spacebar under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Charybdis IRCd and Spacebar with Docker?
Charybdis IRCd: check the project docs for container support. Spacebar: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Charybdis IRCd or Spacebar?
Charybdis IRCd has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Spacebar. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.