Spacebar vs UnrealIRCd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Spacebar
Self-hostable, open-source Discord-compatible chat backend
VS
UnrealIRCd
Highly configurable open-source IRC server
| Feature | Spacebar | UnrealIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 75 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,196 | ★ 521 |
| First released | 2021 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Discord | Slack, Discord |
What are Spacebar and UnrealIRCd?
Spacebar
Spacebar is a free, open-source, self-hostable chat platform that is compatible with the Discord client and API. It lets communities run their own Discord-like server infrastructure.
- Discord-API compatible
- Works with existing Discord clients
- Self-hosted communities
- Voice and text channels
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
Spacebar vs UnrealIRCd: key differences
Spacebar is written in TypeScript, while UnrealIRCd is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Spacebar versus GPL-2.0 for UnrealIRCd. UnrealIRCd is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Spacebar. UnrealIRCd is the more established project (first released 1999), while Spacebar arrived in 2021. Spacebar has the considerably larger community, at 2,196 GitHub stars versus 521. Spacebar lists first-class Docker deployment; UnrealIRCd does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Spacebar if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Watch out for
- Still in heavy development
- Feature gaps versus Discord
Choose UnrealIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Spacebar or UnrealIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. Spacebar has the larger community, while UnrealIRCd is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Spacebar and UnrealIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Spacebar is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and UnrealIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Spacebar and UnrealIRCd with Docker?
Spacebar: yes. UnrealIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Spacebar or UnrealIRCd?
UnrealIRCd has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Spacebar. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.