irssi 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 | irssi | ngIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 76 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,141 | ★ 578 |
| First released | 1999 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack |
What are irssi and ngIRCd?
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
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
irssi vs ngIRCd: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Irssi is the more established project (first released 1999), while ngIRCd arrived in 2001. Irssi has the considerably larger community, at 3,141 GitHub stars versus 578.
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 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 irssi or ngIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. irssi has the larger community, while ngIRCd is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are irssi and ngIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. irssi is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ngIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run irssi and ngIRCd with Docker?
irssi: check the project docs for container support. ngIRCd: check the project docs for container support.