irssi vs Libervia
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | irssi | Libervia |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,141 | ★ 50 |
| First released | 1999 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack, Facebook |
What are irssi and Libervia?
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
Libervia
Libervia, formerly Salut a Toi, is a communication ecosystem built on XMPP that offers desktop, web, and command-line frontends. It supports chat, blogging, file sharing, and more over a single decentralized network.
- Multiple frontends on XMPP
- Blogging and file sharing
- End-to-end encryption
- Command-line interface
irssi vs Libervia: key differences
Irssi is written in C, while Libervia is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for irssi versus AGPL-3.0 for Libervia. Irssi is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Libervia. Irssi is the more established project (first released 1999), while Libervia arrived in 2009. Irssi has the considerably larger community, at 3,141 GitHub stars versus 50.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Libervia if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is irssi or Libervia better?
irssi is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Libervia if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are irssi and Libervia free and open-source?
Yes. irssi is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Libervia under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run irssi and Libervia with Docker?
irssi: check the project docs for container support. Libervia: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, irssi or Libervia?
irssi has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Libervia. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.