irssi vs UnrealIRCd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | irssi | UnrealIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 75 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,141 | ★ 521 |
| First released | 1999 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are irssi and UnrealIRCd?
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
UnrealIRCd
UnrealIRCd is a long-established IRC server daemon known for its rich feature set, advanced security controls, and module system. It is one of the most widely deployed IRCd implementations.
- Extensive module system
- Advanced anti-abuse features
- TLS and IRCv3 support
- Highly configurable
irssi vs UnrealIRCd: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Irssi is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for UnrealIRCd. Irssi has the considerably larger community, at 3,141 GitHub stars versus 521.
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 UnrealIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is irssi or UnrealIRCd 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 irssi and UnrealIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. irssi is licensed under GPL-2.0 and UnrealIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run irssi and UnrealIRCd with Docker?
irssi: check the project docs for container support. UnrealIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, irssi or UnrealIRCd?
irssi has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for UnrealIRCd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.