ngIRCd vs Solanum
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ngIRCd | Solanum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 76 · Good | 71 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 578 | ★ 262 |
| First released | 2001 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are ngIRCd and Solanum?
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
Solanum
Solanum is an IRCv3 server daemon descended from the Charybdis lineage. It is the software that powers the Libera.Chat IRC network and is suitable for running large IRC infrastructures.
- Powers Libera.Chat
- IRCv3 protocol support
- Scales to large networks
- Charybdis-derived codebase
ngIRCd vs Solanum: key differences
Both projects are written in C. NgIRCd is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Solanum. NgIRCd is the more established project (first released 2001), while Solanum arrived in 2020. NgIRCd has the considerably larger community, at 578 GitHub stars versus 262.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Solanum if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ngIRCd or Solanum better?
ngIRCd is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Solanum if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are ngIRCd and Solanum free and open-source?
Yes. ngIRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Solanum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ngIRCd and Solanum with Docker?
ngIRCd: check the project docs for container support. Solanum: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, ngIRCd or Solanum?
ngIRCd has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Solanum. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.