Bonfire vs Ergo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Ergo
Modern IRC server with IRCv3 and bouncer features
| Feature | Bonfire | Ergo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Elixir | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 943 | ★ 3,333 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Facebook Groups, Discord | Slack, Discord |
What are Bonfire and Ergo?
Bonfire
Bonfire is a flexible, modular framework for building federated social networks and digital communities. It supports ActivityPub federation and is highly customizable through extensions.
- Modular extension architecture
- ActivityPub federation
- Customizable community flavors
- Privacy-focused design
Ergo
Ergo, formerly known as Oragono, is a modern IRC server written in Go that combines an IRCd with bouncer-like features. It supports IRCv3, has built-in account management, and stores message history.
- Full IRCv3 support
- Built-in account registration
- Persistent message history
- Single binary deployment
Bonfire vs Ergo: key differences
Bonfire is written in Elixir, while Ergo is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Bonfire versus MIT for Ergo. Ergo is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Bonfire. Ergo is the more established project (first released 2016), while Bonfire arrived in 2020. Ergo has the considerably larger community, at 3,333 GitHub stars versus 943.
Why pick each one
Choose Bonfire if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Elixir
Watch out for
- Still maturing
- Complex to configure
Choose Ergo if…
- No external services needed
- Easy to run
Watch out for
- IRC protocol limitations
- No web UI included
Frequently asked questions
Is Bonfire or Ergo better?
Ergo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Bonfire if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Bonfire and Ergo free and open-source?
Yes. Bonfire is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Ergo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bonfire and Ergo with Docker?
Bonfire: yes. Ergo: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Bonfire or Ergo?
Ergo has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Bonfire. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.