InspIRCd

An IRCv3 chat server for running your own IRC network on Linux, BSD, macOS or Windows.

1.4k stars, 281 forks C++ On GitHub since March 2012

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

InspIRCd at a glance

Open sourceUnclear licenseRead the license before commercial use
Health66 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingWindows, LinuxOne-click in Runtipi and Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts
AppsWindows, LinuxBuilds in GitHub releases
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Issue repliesWithin ~2 hoursMedian first reply; 73% of recent issues answered

What is InspIRCd?

InspIRCd is the daemon side of Internet Relay Chat: clients connect to it, and it handles channels, users and messages using the IRCv3 protocol. The team officially supports recent Linux and BSD systems, the last three major macOS releases and Windows 10 or newer. Optional modules add functionality and may need extra system packages. Binary packages exist for Debian, RHEL, Ubuntu and Windows, a Docker image lives in a separate repository, and most people on UNIX-like systems compile it with CMake. The master branch carries unstable development code, so servers should run a v4 release.

Good fit if

  • You host an IRC network for a community or project and want a long-running, actively released ircd.
  • Your users already rely on IRC clients and bouncers.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want accounts, history and bouncer features in one Go binary: Ergo.
  • Your team expects threads, search and file sharing in a modern app: Zulip or Mattermost.

Before you adopt it

Our data found no license file it could match, so the license is treated as custom and the page lists it as not open source by the OSI definition; read the license section of the README before you rely on it. No paid parts were found. Nearly all recent commits come from one developer, which makes the pace depend on that person. Releases are frequent; v4.12.1 shipped in September 2026. The team advises against distribution packages because some were modified or left without security updates.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 7 November 2026. Report a correction

How to run InspIRCd yourself

One-click install

Not listed in Umbrel, YunoHost, TrueNAS, Unraid, CasaOS and Coolify. Checked against each panel’s app catalog on 12 November 2026.

Ways to install

Docker files
None in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Packages
Debian, Ubuntu, AUR, Alpine, openSUSE, Gentoo, Void, Nix and 2 more versions on Repology
Desktop and mobile
Builds for Windows, Linux in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: inspircd.org or the README on GitHub. Docker images and packages are checked weekly.

InspIRCd health: is it still maintained?

66 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmEvery ~3 months6 releases in 12 months; latest v4.12.1
Issue repliesWithin ~2 hoursMedian first reply; 73% of recent issues answered
Bus factorHigh riskThe most active of 2 authors wrote 96% of recent commits
  • Activity
    81 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 9 November 2026.
    23 / 30
  • Contributors
    2 people wrote the 81 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 96% of them.
    4 / 20
  • Releases
    6 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v4.12.1, on 26 September 2026.
    17 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 73% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 2 hours.
    18 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 3.8 of 10.
    4 / 10

Read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. How the score works

InspIRCd security

Security advisories are the vulnerabilities the maintainers disclosed on GitHub, with the versions that fix them; many advisories can mean careful disclosure as much as weak code. OpenSSF Scorecard checks how a project is developed and released: reviews, protected branches, pinned dependencies, signed releases. It does not audit the code itself.

Security advisoriesNone publishedNo advisories in the repository’s Security tab
OpenSSF Scorecard3.8 of 10How the project is built and released
Security policyYesExplains how to report a vulnerability
Signed releasesNoDownloads cannot be checked against a signature

What each Scorecard check found

  • Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
  • Dangerous workflows10 / 10No risky patterns in GitHub Actions
  • Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
  • Security policy10 / 10Explains how to report a vulnerability
  • Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
  • Branch protection0 / 10The main branch has no protection rules
  • Code review0 / 10Changes are merged without review
  • Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
  • License file0 / 10No license file found
  • Pinned dependencies0 / 10Dependencies are not pinned to fixed versions
  • Signed releases0 / 10Releases are not signed
  • Static analysis0 / 10No static analysis found
  • Token permissions0 / 10CI tokens have broad write rights

Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 9 November 2026; checks that do not apply to InspIRCd are left out.

InspIRCd license: is it open source?

We could not identify the license of InspIRCd. Check the repository before you build on it.

  1. March 2012First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayUnidentified license.

InspIRCd for developers

Written in

  • C++ 95%
  • Python 2%
  • CMake 1%
  • Perl <1%
  • C <1%
  • Other <1%

Getting involved

Contributing guideNot foundNo CONTRIBUTING file in the repository
Open issues112On GitHub
Authors, 90 days2Of 81 commits
Donations3 waysGitHub Sponsors, own page, Ko-fi

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to InspIRCd

  • ErgoA modern IRC server (daemon/ircd) written in Go. 62 health · MIT · 3.4k stars
  • The Lounge‎ Modern, responsive, cross-platform, self-hosted web IRC client 61 health · MIT · 6.4k stars
  • ZulipZulip server and web application. Open-source team chat that helps teams stay productive and focused. 93 health · Apache-2.0 · 26.2k stars
  • MumbleMumble is an open-source, low-latency, high quality voice chat software. 85 health · BSD · 8.4k stars
  • ejabberdRobust, Ubiquitous and Massively Scalable Messaging Platform (XMPP, MQTT, SIP Server) 81 health · GPL-2.0 · 6.8k stars

All 23 projects in Team chat

Questions about InspIRCd

Is InspIRCd open source?

We could not identify its license, so treat it as not open source until you have checked the repository.

Is InspIRCd still maintained?

Its health score is 66 of 100 (actively developed). It had 81 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 9 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 26 September 2026.

How do I run InspIRCd?

You can run it as an app for Windows, Linux and in one click from Runtipi and Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is InspIRCd written in?

InspIRCd is written mainly in C++ (95% of the code), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to InspIRCd?

Close alternatives in the Team chat category include Ergo, The Lounge, Zulip.