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A brief history of IRC: from OuluBox to Libera.ChatFrom a Finnish university computer in 1988 to live war reporting, the great network splits, the rise and fall of Freenode, and the stable niche IRC occupies today.
Best IRC clients for Android in 2026IRC on a phone fails without persistence — Android kills background connections. The clients that solve it: goguma, IRCCloud, Quasseldroid, and the bouncer setups that make mobile IRC actually work.
Best IRC clients for iOS in 2026iOS suspends background apps within seconds, which kills naive IRC clients. The setups that work on iPhone and iPad: goguma, IRCCloud, and bouncer-backed configurations.
DCC explained: IRC's peer-to-peer file transfersDCC lets two IRC users connect directly for chat and file transfer, with the server only brokering the handshake. How it works, why it fights with NAT, and the safety rules that never expired.
EFnet: IRC's wild original, still runningEFnet is the direct descendant of the first IRC network — and still has no nickname registration, no channel services, no safety rails. How it works, why people love it, and how to survive there.
Ergo setup guide: a modern IRC server in one eveningErgo packs server, services, and message history into a single Go binary with one YAML config. A practical walkthrough: install, TLS, registration, history, and the settings worth changing before inviting people.
Freenode vs Libera.Chat: what actually happened in 2021In 2021 the largest IRC network in the world imploded in a matter of weeks. The story of the Freenode takeover, the staff exodus that created Libera.Chat, and where both networks stand today.
Halloy: a modern IRC client that feels like 2026Halloy is an open source IRC client written in Rust that finally looks and feels contemporary — fast, clean, IRCv3-capable, cross-platform. What it does well, what it skips, and how to set it up.
How to find IRC channels worth joiningIRC has no global directory and no algorithm suggesting rooms — finding good channels is a skill. Project documentation, alis, netsplit.de, and how to judge whether a channel is alive.
How to join an IRC channel: a beginner's guideJoining your first IRC channel takes two minutes in a browser and requires no account. This guide covers the quick method, proper client setup, the commands you need, and the mistakes every newcomer makes.
How to register a nickname on IRC (NickServ and SASL)Registering your IRC nickname takes one minute, protects your identity, and unlocks channels that require it. This guide covers NickServ registration and setting up SASL so you never have to log in manually again.
How to run your own IRC server in 2026A private IRC server for your community is a one-evening project in 2026. Choosing between Ergo, InspIRCd, UnrealIRCd and solanum, what hardware you need (almost none), and the decisions to make before launch.
How to use IRC in your browser: webchat options comparedNo downloads, no setup: every major IRC network can be used straight from a browser. The webchat options — network webchats, gamja, KiwiIRC, The Lounge and IRCCloud — and what each is good for.
IRC bots: from eggdrop to your first ten lines of PythonBots are half of IRC's culture: loggers, games, ops helpers, bridges. The classic bot software, the etiquette rules that now have teeth, and a minimal Python bot to start from.
IRC channel modes explained+t, +n, +m, +i, +k, +b — channel modes are IRC's entire moderation toolkit compressed into single letters. What each one does, how lists and parameters work, and which modes vary by network.
IRC commands cheat sheetA practical reference of IRC commands — joining channels, private messages, NickServ and ChanServ, channel operator commands, and the modes you will actually encounter. Works in any client.
IRC etiquette: the unwritten rules, written downIRC has thirty years of cultural norms that nobody tells you about until you break one. Here they are, written down — from "don't ask to ask" to pastebin discipline and the patience problem.
IRC glossary: every term you'll run intoOp, voice, k-line, CTCP, ghost, cloak, services — IRC has three decades of jargon. An alphabetical glossary of the terms you will actually encounter.
IRC networks in 2026: which ones matter and how to connectHundreds of IRC networks exist, but a handful host most of the activity. An overview of the networks that matter in 2026 — what each is for, how big it is, and how to connect.
IRC user modes explainedChannel modes get all the attention, but users have modes too: invisibility, cloaking, TLS markers, wallops. What the common user modes do and which ones are worth setting.
IRC vs Discord: an honest comparisonDiscord won the masses; IRC kept the infrastructure people. An honest comparison of the two — features, ownership, privacy, longevity — and a realistic take on which one fits which community.
IRC vs Matrix: two open protocols comparedIRC and Matrix are both open, federated-ish, and beloved by the same crowd — which makes choosing between them genuinely hard. A practical comparison of the two open chat protocols.
IRC vs Slack: what got reinvented and what got lostSlack famously began as a polished take on ideas IRC pioneered — channels, /commands, integrations. What Slack added, what it took away, and when each makes sense.
IRCCloud explained: IRC as a hosted serviceIRCCloud keeps your IRC connection alive in their cloud: synced history, push notifications, polished apps everywhere. How it works, what the free tier limits, and the trade-offs of putting a company in the middle.
IRCnet: the European giant without a rulebookIRCnet split from EFnet in 1996 and remains one of the largest networks, strongest in Europe and the Nordics. No services, channel reops via !channels, and decades-old communities — a guide.
Is IRC dead? The honest numbers in 2026IRC has been declared dead every year since the mid-2000s, yet hundreds of networks still serve six figures of concurrent users. The honest numbers, the decline, and why the floor turned out to be solid.
Libera.Chat: a complete guide to the largest IRC networkLibera.Chat is where open source lives on IRC: ~30,000 users, 22,000+ channels. Connecting, registering, cloaks, channel namespaces, and the policies — VPN, Tor, bots — that actually affect you.
mIRC in 2026: the Windows classic, thirty years onmIRC turned thirty in 2025 and is still updated. What the most famous IRC client of all time offers today, the scripting culture it created, and an honest take on whether to choose it now.
OFTC: the quieter home of free software IRCOFTC hosts Debian, Tor, and a constellation of infrastructure projects — smaller and quieter than Libera, deliberately so. Connecting, registration, and how it differs in practice.
Rizon: anime, fansubs and a general-purpose networkRizon is the cultural home of anime and fansub IRC, with a large general- purpose population besides. Connecting, registration with anope services, vhosts, and the XDCC culture to be aware of.
soju setup guide: the modern IRC bouncersoju is the bouncer built for the IRCv3 era: chathistory-native, multi- network, and the engine behind clients like goguma and gamja. Installation, configuration, and connecting your devices.
The Lounge setup guide: self-hosted web IRC that stays onlineThe Lounge is a self-hosted web IRC client that doubles as your always-on connection: history, push notifications, every browser. Installation with Node or Docker, reverse proxy, and the settings worth changing.
WeeChat setup guide: the terminal IRC client done rightWeeChat is the most capable terminal IRC client: scriptable, IRCv3-aware, with a relay protocol that can replace a bouncer. A modern setup from install to SASL to the essential keybindings.
What is a netsplit?Half the channel just quit at the same instant — congratulations, you have witnessed a netsplit. What netsplits are, why they happen, and why a wave of simultaneous quits is nothing to worry about.
What is an IRC bouncer? ZNC, soju and the alternativesPlain IRC forgets everything the moment you disconnect. A bouncer is the classic fix: a small server that stays online for you, records history, and lets all your devices share one connection. Here is how it works and which one to pick.
What is IRC? Internet Relay Chat explainedIRC is the original internet chat protocol, older than the web itself and still very much alive. This article explains how IRC works, who uses it in 2026, and how to try it yourself in five minutes.
What is IRCv3? The quiet modernization of IRCIRC's protocol froze in the 1990s — officially. Unofficially, the IRCv3 working group has spent the last decade retrofitting modern chat features: message history, reactions-ready tags, better auth. What IRCv3 is and what it changes.
ZNC setup guide: the classic IRC bouncer, step by stepZNC keeps you connected to IRC around the clock and replays what you missed. Installation, the makeconf walkthrough, connecting your clients, and the modules worth enabling.