Glowing Bear vs Libervia
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Glowing Bear | Libervia |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 978 | ★ 50 |
| First released | 2014 | 2009 |
| Replaces | IRCCloud, Slack | Slack, Facebook |
What are Glowing Bear and Libervia?
Glowing Bear
Glowing Bear is a web front end that connects to a WeeChat relay, giving the powerful WeeChat IRC client a modern browser interface. It supports notifications, themes, and mobile use.
- WeeChat relay front end
- Browser-based IRC
- Push notifications
- Theme support
Libervia
Libervia, formerly Salut a Toi, is a communication ecosystem built on XMPP that offers desktop, web, and command-line frontends. It supports chat, blogging, file sharing, and more over a single decentralized network.
- Multiple frontends on XMPP
- Blogging and file sharing
- End-to-end encryption
- Command-line interface
Glowing Bear vs Libervia: key differences
Glowing Bear is written in JavaScript, while Libervia is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Glowing Bear versus AGPL-3.0 for Libervia. Glowing Bear is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Libervia. Libervia is the more established project (first released 2009), while Glowing Bear arrived in 2014. Glowing Bear has the considerably larger community, at 978 GitHub stars versus 50. Glowing Bear lists first-class Docker deployment; Libervia does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Glowing Bear if…
- Leverages WeeChat power
- Works on mobile browsers
Watch out for
- Requires WeeChat relay
- IRC focused
Choose Libervia if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Glowing Bear or Libervia better?
Glowing Bear is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Libervia if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Glowing Bear and Libervia free and open-source?
Yes. Glowing Bear is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Libervia under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glowing Bear and Libervia with Docker?
Glowing Bear: yes. Libervia: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Glowing Bear or Libervia?
Glowing Bear has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Libervia. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.