Ergo vs Spacebar
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
Spacebar
Self-hostable, open-source Discord-compatible chat backend
| Feature | Ergo | Spacebar |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,333 | ★ 2,196 |
| First released | 2016 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Discord |
What are Ergo and Spacebar?
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
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
Ergo vs Spacebar: key differences
Ergo is written in Go, while Spacebar is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Ergo versus AGPL-3.0 for Spacebar. Ergo is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Spacebar. Ergo is the more established project (first released 2016), while Spacebar arrived in 2021.
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 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 Ergo or Spacebar better?
Ergo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Spacebar if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ergo and Spacebar free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and Spacebar under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and Spacebar with Docker?
Ergo: yes. Spacebar: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ergo or Spacebar?
Ergo 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.