Libervia 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 | Libervia | ngIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 50 | ★ 578 |
| First released | 2009 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Slack, Facebook | Slack |
What are Libervia and ngIRCd?
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
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
Libervia vs ngIRCd: key differences
Libervia is written in Python, while ngIRCd is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Libervia versus GPL-2.0 for ngIRCd. NgIRCd is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Libervia. NgIRCd is the more established project (first released 2001), while Libervia arrived in 2009. NgIRCd has the considerably larger community, at 578 GitHub stars versus 50.
Why pick each one
Choose Libervia if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 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 Libervia or ngIRCd better?
ngIRCd is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Libervia if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Libervia and ngIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Libervia is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ngIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Libervia and ngIRCd with Docker?
Libervia: check the project docs for container support. ngIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Libervia or ngIRCd?
ngIRCd 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.