Bonfire vs InspIRCd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Bonfire
Federated social networking toolkit for communities
VS
InspIRCd
Modular C++ Internet Relay Chat daemon
| Feature | Bonfire | InspIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Elixir | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 930 | ★ 1,338 |
| First released | 2020 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Facebook Groups, Discord | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Bonfire if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Elixir
Choose InspIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Bonfire or InspIRCd better?
InspIRCd 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 InspIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Bonfire is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and InspIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bonfire and InspIRCd with Docker?
Bonfire: yes. InspIRCd: yes.