ircd-hybrid vs Quassel IRC
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 | Quassel IRC |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 57 · Fair |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 794 |
| First released | 1997 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are ircd-hybrid and Quassel IRC?
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
Quassel IRC
Quassel is a distributed IRC client built around a central core that stays connected and one or more clients that attach to it. The core acts as a permanent bouncer storing backlog for all devices.
- Always-on core bouncer
- Synced backlog across devices
- Qt desktop clients
- PostgreSQL or SQLite storage
ircd-hybrid vs Quassel IRC: key differences
Ircd-hybrid is written in C, while Quassel IRC is built with C++. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ircd-hybrid versus GPL-3.0 for Quassel IRC. Ircd-hybrid is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Quassel IRC. Ircd-hybrid is the more established project (first released 1997), while Quassel IRC arrived in 2008. Quassel IRC has the considerably larger community, at 794 GitHub stars versus 200. Quassel IRC 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 Quassel IRC if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ircd-hybrid or Quassel IRC better?
Neither is universally better. Quassel IRC has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ircd-hybrid and Quassel IRC free and open-source?
Yes. ircd-hybrid is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Quassel IRC under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ircd-hybrid and Quassel IRC with Docker?
ircd-hybrid: check the project docs for container support. Quassel IRC: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ircd-hybrid or Quassel IRC?
ircd-hybrid has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Quassel IRC. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.