Gamja vs soju
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gamja | soju |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 400 | ★ 1,000 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | IRCCloud | IRCCloud |
What are Gamja and soju?
Gamja
Gamja is a minimal IRC client for the web designed to pair with the soju bouncer. It is small, fast, and supports IRCv3 features for a modern chat experience.
- Very lightweight static web app
- IRCv3 support
- Pairs with soju bouncer
- No build step required
soju
soju is a modern IRC bouncer that keeps you connected to IRC networks and stores message history while you are away. It supports multiple users and networks from a single instance.
- Multi-user and multi-network
- Persistent message buffers
- IRCv3 support
- Pairs with the Gamja web client
Gamja vs soju: key differences
Gamja is written in JavaScript, while soju is built with Go. Gamja is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for soju. Soju has the considerably larger community, at 1,000 GitHub stars versus 400. Soju lists first-class Docker deployment; Gamja does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Gamja if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Minimal feature set
- Best used with a bouncer
Choose soju if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Watch out for
- Requires an IRC client
- Setup needs CLI knowledge
Frequently asked questions
Is Gamja or soju better?
Neither is universally better. soju has the larger community, while Gamja is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Gamja and soju free and open-source?
Yes. Gamja is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and soju under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gamja and soju with Docker?
Gamja: check the project docs for container support. soju: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gamja or soju?
Gamja has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for soju. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.