Internet Relay Chat has been running since 1988. It predates the web, outlived most of the things built to replace it, and is still where a huge amount of open source, security and hobbyist conversation actually happens. Libera.Chat alone carries well over thirty thousand people at any given moment, and the wider network of networks holds well over 150,000.
The problem is that almost everything written about IRC is old. Search around and you will find guides that recommend dead networks, dead clients, and habits that made sense before SSL was standard. ircbits.com fixes that — every page here is written for the post-Freenode world and is corrected when reality changes, not left to rot. If something on this site is outdated, that is a bug.
Not sure where to start? Pick the thread that matches you.
The five-minute version: what this thing is, how to get in, and the handful of commands you actually need.
There is no single "IRC" — there are many independent networks. Here is the lay of the land and how to choose.
From a polished terminal setup to an app on your phone — find something that fits how you work.
Once you are comfortable, here is what is actually happening on the wire.
Close the laptop without leaving the channel. This is the part newcomers miss.
IRC is small enough that one person can run a whole network — or teach a bot to live in it.
Where it came from, the unwritten rules, and how it stacks up against the newer chat apps.
That is the map. You can also browse every article, explore them by topic, or follow along with the RSS feed. New here and want the guided route? Begin at Start here.