InspIRCd vs Miaou
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
Miaou
Self-hosted multi-room chat with markdown and code blocks
| Feature | InspIRCd | Miaou |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,338 | ★ 553 |
| First released | 2002 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Discord, Slack |
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++
Choose Miaou if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is InspIRCd or Miaou 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 Miaou free and open-source?
Yes. InspIRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Miaou under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run InspIRCd and Miaou with Docker?
InspIRCd: yes. Miaou: check the project docs for container support.