Ergo vs irssi
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
VS
irssi
Modular terminal IRC client with scripting
| Feature | Ergo | irssi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 69 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,333 | ★ 3,141 |
| First released | 2016 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are Ergo and irssi?
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
irssi
irssi is a terminal-based IRC client known for its stability, scripting support, and clean interface. It can be combined with screen or tmux to act as a long-running session.
- Terminal interface
- Perl scripting
- Themeable display
- Long-running stability
Ergo vs irssi: key differences
Ergo is written in Go, while irssi is built with C. Licensing differs — MIT for Ergo versus GPL-2.0 for irssi. Irssi is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for Ergo. Irssi is the more established project (first released 1999), while Ergo arrived in 2016. Ergo lists first-class Docker deployment; irssi does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Ergo if…
- No external services needed
- Easy to run
Watch out for
- IRC protocol limitations
- No web UI included
Choose irssi if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ergo or irssi better?
Neither is universally better. Ergo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ergo and irssi free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and irssi under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and irssi with Docker?
Ergo: yes. irssi: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Ergo or irssi?
irssi has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for Ergo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.