Miaou vs Quassel IRC
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Miaou | Quassel IRC |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 65 · Good | 57 · Fair |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 553 | ★ 794 |
| First released | 2014 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack |
What are Miaou and Quassel IRC?
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
Quassel IRC
Quassel is a distributed IRC client built around a central core that stays connected and one or more clients that attach to it. The core acts as a permanent bouncer storing backlog for all devices.
- Always-on core bouncer
- Synced backlog across devices
- Qt desktop clients
- PostgreSQL or SQLite storage
Miaou vs Quassel IRC: key differences
Miaou is written in JavaScript, while Quassel IRC is built with C++. Licensing differs — MIT for Miaou versus GPL-3.0 for Quassel IRC. Quassel IRC is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Miaou. Quassel IRC is the more established project (first released 2008), while Miaou arrived in 2014. Quassel IRC lists first-class Docker deployment; Miaou does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Miaou if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Quassel IRC if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Miaou or Quassel IRC better?
Neither is universally better. Quassel IRC has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Miaou and Quassel IRC free and open-source?
Yes. Miaou is licensed under MIT and Quassel IRC under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Miaou and Quassel IRC with Docker?
Miaou: check the project docs for container support. Quassel IRC: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Miaou or Quassel IRC?
Quassel IRC has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Miaou. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.