ircd-hybrid vs Spacebar
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Spacebar
Self-hostable, open-source Discord-compatible chat backend
| Feature | ircd-hybrid | Spacebar |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 83 · Excellent |
| 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 | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 2,196 |
| First released | 1997 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Discord |
What are ircd-hybrid and Spacebar?
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
Spacebar
Spacebar is a free, open-source, self-hostable chat platform that is compatible with the Discord client and API. It lets communities run their own Discord-like server infrastructure.
- Discord-API compatible
- Works with existing Discord clients
- Self-hosted communities
- Voice and text channels
ircd-hybrid vs Spacebar: key differences
Ircd-hybrid is written in C, while Spacebar is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ircd-hybrid versus AGPL-3.0 for Spacebar. Ircd-hybrid is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Spacebar. Ircd-hybrid is the more established project (first released 1997), while Spacebar arrived in 2021. Spacebar has the considerably larger community, at 2,196 GitHub stars versus 200. Spacebar 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 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
Watch out for
- Still in heavy development
- Feature gaps versus Discord
Frequently asked questions
Is ircd-hybrid or Spacebar better?
Neither is universally better. Spacebar has the larger community, while ircd-hybrid is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ircd-hybrid and Spacebar free and open-source?
Yes. ircd-hybrid is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Spacebar under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ircd-hybrid and Spacebar with Docker?
ircd-hybrid: check the project docs for container support. Spacebar: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ircd-hybrid or Spacebar?
ircd-hybrid has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Spacebar. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.