Miaou 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 | Miaou | ngIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 65 · Good | 76 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 553 | ★ 578 |
| First released | 2014 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack |
What are Miaou and ngIRCd?
Miaou
Miaou is a real-time chat server geared toward developer communities, with markdown formatting, syntax-highlighted code blocks, polls, and per-room moderation. It is the software behind the public Miaou chat used by Rust developers.
- Markdown and code-block friendly chat
- Multi-room with moderation
- OAuth login support
- Popular with developer communities
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
Miaou vs ngIRCd: key differences
Miaou is written in JavaScript, while ngIRCd is built with C. Licensing differs — MIT for Miaou versus GPL-2.0 for ngIRCd. NgIRCd is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Miaou. NgIRCd is the more established project (first released 2001), while Miaou arrived in 2014.
Why pick each one
Choose Miaou if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in JavaScript
- 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 Miaou or ngIRCd better?
ngIRCd is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Miaou if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Miaou and ngIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Miaou is licensed under MIT and ngIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Miaou and ngIRCd with Docker?
Miaou: check the project docs for container support. ngIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Miaou or ngIRCd?
ngIRCd has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Miaou. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.