ngIRCd vs WeeChat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ngIRCd | WeeChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 76 · Good | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 578 | ★ 3,393 |
| First released | 2001 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack |
What are ngIRCd and WeeChat?
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
WeeChat
WeeChat is a fast, lightweight chat client that runs in the terminal and supports IRC and many other protocols through plugins. Its relay protocol allows remote clients to connect to a persistent session.
- Terminal interface
- Scriptable in many languages
- Relay protocol for remote clients
- Highly extensible
ngIRCd vs WeeChat: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ngIRCd versus GPL-3.0 for WeeChat. NgIRCd is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for WeeChat. NgIRCd is the more established project (first released 2001), while WeeChat arrived in 2003. WeeChat has the considerably larger community, at 3,393 GitHub stars versus 578.
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 WeeChat if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (3.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ngIRCd or WeeChat better?
Neither is universally better. WeeChat has the larger community, while ngIRCd is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ngIRCd and WeeChat free and open-source?
Yes. ngIRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and WeeChat under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ngIRCd and WeeChat with Docker?
ngIRCd: check the project docs for container support. WeeChat: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, ngIRCd or WeeChat?
ngIRCd has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for WeeChat. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.