InspIRCd vs Spacebar
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
Spacebar
Self-hostable, open-source Discord-compatible chat backend
| Feature | InspIRCd | Spacebar |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,338 | ★ 2,189 |
| First released | 2002 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | 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++
Choose Spacebar if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is InspIRCd or Spacebar better?
Neither is universally better. Spacebar has the larger community, while InspIRCd is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are InspIRCd and Spacebar free and open-source?
Yes. InspIRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Spacebar under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run InspIRCd and Spacebar with Docker?
InspIRCd: yes. Spacebar: yes.