ircu2 vs ngIRCd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ircu2 | ngIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 51 · Fair | 76 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 64 | ★ 578 |
| First released | 1996 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack |
What are ircu2 and ngIRCd?
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
ngIRCd
ngIRCd is a free, portable, and lightweight IRC server for small to mid-sized networks. It focuses on simplicity, low resource use, and a straightforward configuration file.
- Very low resource use
- Simple configuration
- IPv6 and TLS support
- No external dependencies
ircu2 vs ngIRCd: key differences
Both projects are written in C. NgIRCd 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 ngIRCd arrived in 2001. NgIRCd has the considerably larger community, at 578 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 ngIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ircu2 or ngIRCd better?
ngIRCd is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ircu2 if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are ircu2 and ngIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. ircu2 is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ngIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ircu2 and ngIRCd with Docker?
ircu2: check the project docs for container support. ngIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, ircu2 or ngIRCd?
ngIRCd 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.