ircu2 vs irssi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ircu2 | irssi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 51 · Fair | 69 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 64 | ★ 3,141 |
| First released | 1996 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack |
What are ircu2 and irssi?
ircu2
ircu2 (ircd-undernet) is the IRC server daemon developed for and used by the Undernet IRC network. It can be self-hosted to run an IRC network and supports a feature-rich channel and server model.
- IRC server used by Undernet
- Feature-rich channel model
- Lightweight C daemon
irssi
irssi is a terminal-based IRC client known for its stability, scripting support, and clean interface. It can be combined with screen or tmux to act as a long-running session.
- Terminal interface
- Perl scripting
- Themeable display
- Long-running stability
ircu2 vs irssi: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Irssi is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for ircu2. Ircu2 is the more established project (first released 1996), while irssi arrived in 1999. Irssi has the considerably larger community, at 3,141 GitHub stars versus 64.
Why pick each one
Choose ircu2 if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose irssi if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ircu2 or irssi better?
Neither is universally better. irssi has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ircu2 and irssi free and open-source?
Yes. ircu2 is licensed under GPL-2.0 and irssi under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ircu2 and irssi with Docker?
ircu2: check the project docs for container support. irssi: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, ircu2 or irssi?
irssi has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for ircu2. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.