InspIRCd vs irssi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | InspIRCd | irssi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 69 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,347 | ★ 3,141 |
| First released | 2002 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are InspIRCd and irssi?
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
irssi
irssi is a terminal-based IRC client known for its stability, scripting support, and clean interface. It can be combined with screen or tmux to act as a long-running session.
- Terminal interface
- Perl scripting
- Themeable display
- Long-running stability
InspIRCd vs irssi: key differences
InspIRCd is written in C++, while irssi is built with C. Irssi is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for InspIRCd. Irssi is the more established project (first released 1999), while InspIRCd arrived in 2002. Irssi has the considerably larger community, at 3,141 GitHub stars versus 1,347. InspIRCd lists first-class Docker deployment; irssi 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
Choose irssi if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is InspIRCd or irssi better?
Neither is universally better. irssi has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are InspIRCd and irssi free and open-source?
Yes. InspIRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and irssi under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run InspIRCd and irssi with Docker?
InspIRCd: yes. irssi: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, InspIRCd or irssi?
irssi has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for InspIRCd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.