ircd-hybrid vs Hookshot
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ircd-hybrid | Hookshot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 79 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 453 |
| First released | 1997 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are ircd-hybrid and Hookshot?
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
Hookshot
Hookshot is a Matrix integration bridge that connects rooms to GitHub, GitLab, Jira, RSS feeds, and generic webhooks. It lets teams receive and act on notifications inside Matrix.
- GitHub, GitLab and Jira integration
- Generic inbound and outbound webhooks
- RSS and Atom feed support
- Interactive notification actions
ircd-hybrid vs Hookshot: key differences
Ircd-hybrid is written in C, while Hookshot is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ircd-hybrid versus Apache-2.0 for Hookshot. Ircd-hybrid is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Hookshot. Ircd-hybrid is the more established project (first released 1997), while Hookshot arrived in 2021. Hookshot has the considerably larger community, at 453 GitHub stars versus 200. Hookshot lists first-class Docker deployment; ircd-hybrid does not.
Why pick each one
Choose ircd-hybrid if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Hookshot if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Requires a Matrix homeserver
- Configuration is YAML-heavy
Frequently asked questions
Is ircd-hybrid or Hookshot better?
Neither is universally better. Hookshot has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ircd-hybrid and Hookshot free and open-source?
Yes. ircd-hybrid is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Hookshot under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ircd-hybrid and Hookshot with Docker?
ircd-hybrid: check the project docs for container support. Hookshot: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ircd-hybrid or Hookshot?
ircd-hybrid has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Hookshot. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.