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WeeChat

WeeChat is a free and open-source Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client.

  • Network Services
  • Tools & Utilities
WeeChat is a free and open-source Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client. It provides a lightweight, fast terminal-based interface for connecting to IRC networks. It is suitable for homelab users who want persistent, low-resource IRC access from a Dockerized service.

Platform availability

Available on 2 of 6 install platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm (not listed)

Also on Docker Hub and GitHub

Health score

76/100 Good

Maintained
100last commit 3 days ago
Popular
713,399 GitHub stars
Easy to install
351 install platform, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 3 of 4 factors.

How is this calculated?

A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 11 days ago

GitHub stars
3,399
Open issues
440
Last commit
2026-10-05
Latest release
v4.10.1
License
GPL-3.0
Activity
rising

Checked 2 days ago - source: GitHub (weechat/weechat)

Resources & Compatibility

ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is not supported.

Checked 10 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • First-install notes Before first run, create the /mnt/user/appdata/weechat/config, data, and cache directories and set permissions to 777. Access the running instance with docker attach weechat. source

Fetched 6 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (9)

  • Adium
  • HexChat - HexChat is an IRC client based on XChat for Linux , but unlike XChat it’s completely free for both Windows and Unix-like systems.
  • KVIrc - Free cross-platform IRC client with Qt interface, scripting, themes, Unicode, advanced logging, SSL support, multi-server connections, and…
  • Pidgin - Pidgin is a cross-platform chat program that lets you log into multiple messaging networks at once, such as XMPP (Extensible Messaging and…
  • Quassel IRC - Quassel IRC is a modern, cross-platform, distributed IRC client based on the Qt5 framework.
  • SeaMonkey - SeaMonkey is an all-in-one internet suite.
  • XChat for Linux - XChat is an IRC chat program for both Linux and Windows.
  • irssi - Irssi is a terminal based IRC client for UNIX systems.
  • mIRC - Windows IRC client for real-time worldwide chat with group and private messaging, multi-server access, scripting, encryption, logging, and…

Checked 7 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

How can I keep WeeChat running in the background and reach it from another client?

Run WeeChat in the background as weechat-headless and use the relay plugin to connect from remote interfaces, including another WeeChat client or as an IRC proxy.

What directory setup is needed before first run in the Unraid WeeChat app?

Create the config, data, and cache directories under /mnt/user/appdata/weechat and set their permissions to 777. Access the running instance with docker attach weechat.

Can I update WeeChat without dropping active IRC connections?

Use the /upgrade command to reload the new WeeChat binary in place while keeping buffer contents and server connections. TLS connections are restored automatically.

Does the WeeChat IRC plugin support SASL authentication?

Yes, the IRC plugin includes SASL authentication. It also supports multi-server connections, proxy support, and IPv6.

Answers sourced from ca.unraid.net, github.com, weechat.org

Community

Collected 10 days ago - public community threads