UnrealIRCd 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 | UnrealIRCd | WeeChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 75 · Good | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 521 | ★ 3,393 |
| First released | 1999 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are UnrealIRCd and WeeChat?
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
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
UnrealIRCd vs WeeChat: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for UnrealIRCd versus GPL-3.0 for WeeChat. WeeChat is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for UnrealIRCd. UnrealIRCd is the more established project (first released 1999), while WeeChat arrived in 2003. WeeChat has the considerably larger community, at 3,393 GitHub stars versus 521.
Why pick each one
Choose UnrealIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 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 UnrealIRCd or WeeChat better?
Neither is universally better. WeeChat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are UnrealIRCd and WeeChat free and open-source?
Yes. UnrealIRCd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and WeeChat under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run UnrealIRCd and WeeChat with Docker?
UnrealIRCd: check the project docs for container support. WeeChat: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, UnrealIRCd or WeeChat?
WeeChat has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for UnrealIRCd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.