ZNC

An IRC bouncer that stays connected to your networks around the clock and replays missed messages when your client reconnects.

2.1k stars, 411 forks C++ On GitHub since January 2010

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

ZNC at a glance

Open sourceYes, Apache-2.0No paid parts in the repository
Health62 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingDockerSteps in the README
Interface12 languagesIncluding German, French and Spanish
Issue repliesWithin ~5 hoursMedian first reply; 63% of recent issues answered

What is ZNC?

ZNC sits between your IRC client and IRC networks. It keeps your nickname online, and stores messages while you are away, playing them back when you return. Behavior is extended with modules in C++, Perl or Python, and optional modules add SASL authentication through Cyrus and Argon2 password hashing. Its user-facing text is available in 12 languages.

Good fit if

  • You use IRC from several devices and do not want to miss conversations.
  • You prefer your own bouncer on a small server over a hosted one.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want a web client with the bouncer built in: The Lounge.
  • You want to run the IRC server itself, with history and accounts: Ergo.

Before you adopt it

ZNC switched from GPL-2.0 to Apache-2.0 in June 2013 and contains no paid parts. A few maintainers keep it current. You build it with CMake and a C++ compiler, or use the Docker image; there are no formal GitHub releases.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 31 October 2026. Report a correction

How to run ZNC yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file 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
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
12 languages, including German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian and Turkish
Show all 12

Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish

Install instructions: znc.in or the README on GitHub.

ZNC health: is it still maintained?

62 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmNo releasesNone published on GitHub
Issue repliesWithin ~5 hoursMedian first reply; 63% of recent issues answered
Bus factorLow riskThe most active of 4 authors wrote 38% of recent commits
  • Activity
    75 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 1 November 2026.
    23 / 30
  • Contributors
    4 people wrote the 75 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 38% of them.
    9 / 20
  • Releases
    No releases published on GitHub.
    6 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 63% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 5 hours.
    17 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 6.6 of 10.
    7 / 10

Read from GitHub on 6 November 2026. How the score works

ZNC security practices

OpenSSF Scorecard checks how a project is developed and released: reviews, protected branches, pinned dependencies, signed releases. It does not audit the code itself.

OpenSSF Scorecard6.6 of 10How the project is built and released
Security policyNoNo SECURITY.md or similar

What each check found

  • Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
  • Dangerous workflows10 / 10No risky patterns in GitHub Actions
  • Fuzzing10 / 10The code is fuzz-tested
  • License file10 / 10A license file is present
  • Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
  • Packaging10 / 10Releases are published as packages from CI
  • Static analysis10 / 10Code is scanned for bugs on every change
  • Code review5 / 10Some changes are merged without review
  • Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
  • Pinned dependencies0 / 10Dependencies are not pinned to fixed versions
  • Security policy0 / 10No security policy
  • Token permissions0 / 10CI tokens have broad write rights

From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 19 October 2026. Checks that do not apply to ZNC are left out.

ZNC license: is it open source?

ZNC uses Apache-2.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. January 2010First published on GitHub under GPL-2.0.
  2. 13 June 2013Changed to Apache-2.0. Commit: Change ZNC license to Apache 2.0
  3. TodayApache-2.0.

ZNC for developers

Written in

  • C++ 80%
  • JavaScript 7%
  • Go Template 3%
  • CMake 3%
  • CSS 2%
  • Other 4%

Getting involved

Contributing guideYesCONTRIBUTING.mdOpen issues363On GitHub
Authors, 90 days4Of 75 commits

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

Alternatives to ZNC

  • ElementA glossy Matrix collaboration client for the web. 90 health · AGPL-3.0 · 13.6k stars
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Questions about ZNC

Is ZNC open source?

Yes. ZNC is published under Apache-2.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is ZNC still maintained?

Its health score is 62 of 100 (actively developed). It had 75 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 1 November 2026.

Did ZNC change its license?

Yes. It moved from GPL-2.0 to Apache-2.0 on 13 June 2013.

How do I run ZNC?

You can run it with Docker. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is ZNC written in?

ZNC is written mainly in C++ (80% of the code), with JavaScript (7%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What languages is ZNC available in?

The repository has interface translations for 12 languages, including German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian and Turkish.

What are the alternatives to ZNC?

Close alternatives in the Team chat category include Element, Mumble, Rocket.Chat.