InspIRCd vs Dendrite
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
InspIRCd
Modular C++ Internet Relay Chat daemon
VS
Dendrite
Second-generation Matrix homeserver written in Go
| Feature | InspIRCd | Dendrite |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,338 | ★ 5,632 |
| First released | 2002 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
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++
Frequently asked questions
Is InspIRCd or Dendrite better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are InspIRCd and Dendrite free and open-source?
Yes. InspIRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Dendrite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run InspIRCd and Dendrite with Docker?
InspIRCd: yes. Dendrite: yes.