Ergo vs ngIRCd
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
ngIRCd
Lightweight Unix IRC server that is easy to configure
| Feature | Ergo | ngIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,333 | ★ 578 |
| First released | 2016 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are Ergo and ngIRCd?
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
ngIRCd
ngIRCd is a free, portable, and lightweight IRC server for small to mid-sized networks. It focuses on simplicity, low resource use, and a straightforward configuration file.
- Very low resource use
- Simple configuration
- IPv6 and TLS support
- No external dependencies
Ergo vs ngIRCd: key differences
Ergo is written in Go, while ngIRCd is built with C. Licensing differs — MIT for Ergo versus GPL-2.0 for ngIRCd. NgIRCd is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for Ergo. NgIRCd is the more established project (first released 2001), while Ergo arrived in 2016. Ergo has the considerably larger community, at 3,333 GitHub stars versus 578. Ergo lists first-class Docker deployment; ngIRCd 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 ngIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ergo or ngIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. Ergo has the larger community, while ngIRCd is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ergo and ngIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and ngIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and ngIRCd with Docker?
Ergo: yes. ngIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Ergo or ngIRCd?
ngIRCd 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.