Glowing Bear vs UnrealIRCd
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 | UnrealIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 62 · Good | 75 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 978 | ★ 521 |
| First released | 2014 | 1999 |
| Replaces | IRCCloud, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Glowing Bear and UnrealIRCd?
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
UnrealIRCd
UnrealIRCd is a long-established IRC server daemon known for its rich feature set, advanced security controls, and module system. It is one of the most widely deployed IRCd implementations.
- Extensive module system
- Advanced anti-abuse features
- TLS and IRCv3 support
- Highly configurable
Glowing Bear vs UnrealIRCd: key differences
Glowing Bear is written in JavaScript, while UnrealIRCd is built with C. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Glowing Bear versus GPL-2.0 for UnrealIRCd. Glowing Bear is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for UnrealIRCd. UnrealIRCd is the more established project (first released 1999), while Glowing Bear arrived in 2014. Glowing Bear lists first-class Docker deployment; UnrealIRCd 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 UnrealIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Glowing Bear or UnrealIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. Glowing Bear has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Glowing Bear and UnrealIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Glowing Bear is licensed under GPL-3.0 and UnrealIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glowing Bear and UnrealIRCd with Docker?
Glowing Bear: yes. UnrealIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Glowing Bear or UnrealIRCd?
Glowing Bear has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for UnrealIRCd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.