ircbits.com

Everything About IRC

Browse a complete list of articles published on ircbits.com, ordered by publication date where new articles are at the top. If you would rather start broad, the networks and clients hubs group the most useful guides by topic. You may also browse by tag for a list of all available topics, or subscribe to the available RSS-feed.

basics

  • 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 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 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 in 2026: the complete guide to Internet Relay ChatEverything on ircbits, organised. What IRC is, how to get on it in five minutes, which networks matter in 2026, and how to run and build on it — a map of the whole site, start to finish.
  • IRC security and privacy: TLS, SASL, cloaks and not leaking your IPIRC is an old protocol with some sharp edges. The handful of settings that matter — encrypted connections, SASL login, hiding your IP with a cloak, safe DCC, and the VPN/Tor rules — so you can use it without leaking anything you didn't mean to.
  • 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.

bots

bouncers

clients

comparisons

  • 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.

history

networks

reference

  • 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.
  • 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 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 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.
  • The IRC protocol explained: the whole thing fits on one pageIRC is one of the simplest network protocols still in daily use: lines of text over a socket, terminated by CRLF. This is the entire client protocol — message format, the handshake, the commands that matter, numeric replies, and how IRCv3 bolted on the modern bits — short enough to read in one sitting.
  • 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 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, and — as recently as 2026 — a browser-native transport. What IRCv3 is and what it changes.

servers