Miaou 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 | Miaou | UnrealIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 65 · Good | 75 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 553 | ★ 521 |
| First released | 2014 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Miaou and UnrealIRCd?
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
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
Miaou vs UnrealIRCd: key differences
Miaou is written in JavaScript, while UnrealIRCd is built with C. Licensing differs — MIT for Miaou versus GPL-2.0 for UnrealIRCd. UnrealIRCd is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Miaou. UnrealIRCd is the more established project (first released 1999), 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 UnrealIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Miaou or UnrealIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. Miaou has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Miaou and UnrealIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Miaou is licensed under MIT and UnrealIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Miaou and UnrealIRCd with Docker?
Miaou: check the project docs for container support. UnrealIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Miaou or UnrealIRCd?
UnrealIRCd 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.