Kiwi IRC
A browser-based IRC client built from static files, for embedding on a website or running as a personal web client for several networks.
Kiwi IRC at a glance
What is Kiwi IRC?
Kiwi IRC is a Vue.js web client that compiles to plain static files, so any web server or CDN can host it. It connects straight to IRC servers that accept websockets, through the webircgateway proxy for ordinary servers, or through the KiwiBNC bouncer to stay online. One JSON file configures it at runtime. It supports several networks at once, light and dark themes, desktop notifications, compact or full-page layouts, a team mode and plugins for things like file uploads and video calls. The interface is translated into 33 languages.
Good fit if
- You run an IRC community and want visitors to join from a page on your site.
- You want a lightweight web client you can drop on existing static hosting.
Look elsewhere if
- You want a self-hosted, responsive web IRC client that is still under active development: The Lounge.
- You are choosing chat for a company rather than an IRC network: Zulip or Mattermost.
Before you adopt it
Kiwi IRC uses the Apache license and has no paid parts. Development is slowing: there were no commits in the last 90 days, the last was in May 2026, and the newest release, v1.7.1, dates from September 2023. Ready-made builds exist for Linux, Windows and macOS, or you can build it with Node.js and yarn.
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 Kiwi IRC yourself
One-click install
Not listed in Umbrel, TrueNAS, Unraid, CasaOS, Runtipi, Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts 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
- AUR versions on Repology
- Desktop and mobile
- Builds for Linux, Windows, macOS, including ARM in GitHub releases
- Interface languages
- 33 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish
Show all 33
Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Basque, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
Install instructions: kiwiirc.com or the README on GitHub. Docker images and packages are checked weekly.
Kiwi IRC health: is it still maintained?
19 of 100, slowing down
Read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. How the score works
Kiwi IRC 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.
What each Scorecard check found
- Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
- Dangerous workflows10 / 10No risky patterns in GitHub Actions
- License file10 / 10A license file is present
- Code review1 / 10Some changes are merged without review
- Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
- Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
- Maintained0 / 10Little or no activity in the last 90 days
- Pinned dependencies0 / 10Dependencies are not pinned to fixed versions
- Security policy0 / 10No security policy
- 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 Kiwi IRC are left out.
Kiwi IRC license: is it open source?
Kiwi IRC uses Apache-2.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.
- December 2016First published on GitHub.
- TodayApache-2.0.
Kiwi IRC for developers
Written in
- Vue 52%
- JavaScript 38%
- CSS 10%
- Shell <1%
- HTML <1%
Getting involved
Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.
Alternatives to Kiwi IRC
- The Lounge Modern, responsive, cross-platform, self-hosted web IRC client 61 health · MIT · 6.4k stars
- TinodeInstant messaging platform. Backend in Go. Clients: Swift iOS, Java Android, JS webapp, scriptable command… 58 health · GPL-3.0 · 13.6k 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
- Rocket.ChatThe Secure CommsOS™ for mission-critical operations 81 health · MIT · 46.5k stars
Questions about Kiwi IRC
Is Kiwi IRC open source?
Yes. Kiwi IRC is published under Apache-2.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.
Is Kiwi IRC still maintained?
Its health score is 19 of 100 (slowing down). It had no commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 3 May 2026, and its latest release came out on 13 September 2023.
How do I run Kiwi IRC?
You can run it as an app for Linux, Windows, macOS, including ARM and in one click from YunoHost. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.
What is Kiwi IRC written in?
Kiwi IRC is written mainly in Vue (52% of the code), with JavaScript (38%) and CSS (10%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.
What languages is Kiwi IRC available in?
The repository has interface translations for 33 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish and Russian.
What are the alternatives to Kiwi IRC?
Close alternatives in the Team chat category include The Lounge, Tinode, Zulip.