SHSelfHostIndex

InspIRCd vs ircd-hybrid

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
InspIRCd Modular C++ Internet Relay Chat daemon VS IR ircd-hybrid Lightweight and stable IRC server daemon
FeatureInspIRCdircd-hybrid
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupRead-the-docs project
Health score84 · Excellent69 · Good
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseGPL-2.0GPL-2.0
LanguageC++C
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM64 MB64 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcebare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 1,347★ 200
First released20021997
ReplacesSlack, DiscordSlack, Discord

What are InspIRCd and ircd-hybrid?

InspIRCd

InspIRCd is a modular, high-performance IRC server written in C++. Its plugin-based architecture lets administrators enable only the features they need for their network.

  • Modular plugin architecture
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Supports large IRC networks
  • Cross-platform

ircd-hybrid

ircd-hybrid is a long-standing IRC server daemon known for stability and a lightweight footprint. It supports modern IRC features and modular extensions, and can be self-hosted to run an IRC network.

  • Stable lightweight IRC daemon
  • Modular extensions
  • Long-standing project

InspIRCd vs ircd-hybrid: key differences

InspIRCd is written in C++, while ircd-hybrid is built with C. Ircd-hybrid is the more established project (first released 1997), while InspIRCd arrived in 2002. InspIRCd has the considerably larger community, at 1,347 GitHub stars versus 200. InspIRCd lists first-class Docker deployment; ircd-hybrid does not.

Why pick each one

Choose InspIRCd if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
  • Written in C++

Watch out for

  • Configuration is XML-based
  • IRC-only
InspIRCd details

Choose ircd-hybrid if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Written in C
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
ircd-hybrid details

Frequently asked questions

Is InspIRCd or ircd-hybrid better?

Neither is universally better. InspIRCd has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are InspIRCd and ircd-hybrid free and open-source?

Yes. InspIRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ircd-hybrid under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run InspIRCd and ircd-hybrid with Docker?

InspIRCd: yes. ircd-hybrid: check the project docs for container support.

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