IRC & XMPP

Why Self-Host Your IRC or XMPP Server?

Slack and Microsoft Teams have replaced IRC and XMPP in many organizations, but they come with per-user monthly fees ($7-12/user for Slack, $4-12/user for Teams), message history limits on free tiers, and complete dependency on external infrastructure. IRC and XMPP are open protocols that have been running continuously since the 1980s and 1990s respectively — far longer than any commercial chat service has existed. Self-hosting these protocols gives you persistent, reliable messaging infrastructure with zero recurring costs per user.

XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) provides federated messaging where users on different servers can communicate seamlessly — similar to email but for instant messaging. Self-hosted XMPP servers support end-to-end encryption via OMEMO, group chats, file transfers, voice and video calls, and mobile push notifications. IRC (Internet Relay Chat) remains the backbone of many open-source project communications, offering simple, low-bandwidth text chat that works reliably on minimal hardware and slow connections. Both protocols support bridging to other chat systems, so you can connect your IRC or XMPP server to Matrix, Slack, or Discord channels.

The durability argument for these protocols is significant. Slack has already deprecated its IRC gateway. Google Talk shut down XMPP federation. HipChat, Campfire, and dozens of commercial chat services have been discontinued entirely, taking message histories with them. IRC and XMPP servers you run yourself will continue operating as long as you choose to run them, with message logs stored in your own database. For organizations that need messaging infrastructure they can count on for decades — not just until the next acquisition or pivot — these open protocols on self-hosted servers provide a stability guarantee that no commercial service can match.