Is creating your own IRC server a good decision? reddit / irc ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2014-07-22 23:51 I've wanted to have an IRC channel for my community for a while and after hearing people arguing over which server we would use, I asked the question of why not starting our own. I don't know what that consists of or if there are benefits. It was just something I asked without getting much of a response. Do people do this very often? I just assumed that the IRC server side program could be downloaded to a server and run from there. Instead of connecting to quakenet or snoonet or whatever, it could be a network only used for my small community. Is this a stupid idea? If I wanted to do this, and it was possible, what would it require and what type of cost would go along with it? I apologize if I sound like an idiot. I'm new to this. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CannedDeath · 2014-07-23 02:19 If you're not familiar with using a command line shell on a Unix-like operating system, compiling packages from source, or reading and editing long, complex configuration files, setting up up an IRC server will almost certainly be more of a headache than using an existing network would be. Fortunately, most ircds have well documented configuration files. But actually running a network effectively is something that takes time to learn. My advice would be to try using a smaller network that would be welcoming to new channels. Usually they have somewhat experienced admins who know how to run a network effectively. As for for the networks you mentioned, freenode isn't a good fit unless you're involved in the free/open source community (like Ubuntu or Wikimedia), and snoonet looks like it's only meant to be used by subreddits' communities. You could try searching for networks on SearchIRC, but it's somewhat outdated and some networks listed by it don't exist anymore, split up, or merged with other networks. You could also try asking other people on IRC (or maybe even on this subreddit) if they know of any networks that might be a good fit for your group. However, if you've tried a few networks and none of them are a really good fit, it might be worth it to create your own network. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2014-07-23 02:21 If you are willing to invest a lot of time reading and learning about IRC, server operation and IP networks and such, you could explore setting up your own network further. It is not that hard although i don't know your background knowledge on these subjects. However, if you are - like you say - new to it and want to start off with a solid enjoyable IRC experience for your community; go with an existing network. Research what some of the established networks are (freenode, ircnet, quakenet, efnet, etc) and pick one which fits your communities theme. E.g. freenode hosts mostly FOSS projects, quakenet hosts channels and communities which involve gaming. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- subuserdo · 2014-07-23 02:27 Setting up ircd or ircd-hybrid on *nix isn't that hard, but getting it configured perfectly will be a PITA. That being said, sure you can set up your own server, knock yourself out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PAbot · 2014-07-23 03:25 what would something like that cost? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PAbot · 2014-07-23 03:27 We've been using quakenet. It might be where we stay for all I know. Maybe I might play around with setting up my own server just for the learning experience. I don't know though, I'm just beginning as a computer science major and I know so little that I don't know where to start in regards to what I need to learn. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PAbot · 2014-07-23 03:28 I have some experience with CLI but the rest of it would definitely require more research. I would love to be able to do it but maybe it's not the time to start one myself. Thanks for the information. I appreciate you taking the time. edit: I just realized I've been responding with a different account. whoops! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CannedDeath · 2014-07-23 03:36 usually there is some documentation. The readme or install file should tell you how to compile it, and the configuration files are usually full of helpful comments. The same applies for services packages, which you almost certainly want unless you want a really bare-bones IRC experience like on EFnet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- subuserdo · 2014-07-23 03:42 The software is open source. Where you run it is up to you. It won't take much bandwidth with a small group, so you could probably run the machine yourself on good old broadband. Or you could pay for a hosted box ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2014-07-23 04:54 It's a nice opportunity to learn about a lot of things! Have a look at [netsplit](http://irc.netsplit.de), [irc-wiki](http://www.irc- wiki.org), [irc-junkie](http://www.irc-junkie.org). - Throw some old computer parts together, install a unix flavour on it, install an ircd from source or packages and configure it. - Learn about some networking aspects; open a port on the machine and connect to the service over LAN and remotely. - Enable SSL on a different port, learn about what encryption can offer you and what its limitations are. - Have a friend set up the same ircd and link the two nodes together. This is common practise for irc networks to increase availability and resilience against attacks. You can also rent a virtual private server (VPS) for this. - Learn about dns, get a domain name and have a record point to both servers. - See what irc services you can offer; nickserv, chanserv, bots, perhaps automated gathering of logs and statistics. - Write your own bot and scripts to serve interests in your community, like getting match scores from a website and reporting it on irc. Maybe write a game. You can choose whichever language you like for this. Options are limitless, it's pretty fun! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PAbot · 2014-07-23 07:44 Wow, that sounds like a lot to learn but also a lot of fun. Thanks for this information. I really appreciate it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hooogan · 2014-07-23 08:08 You can run a hosted server for like $6 a month. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- AmphetaminePowered · 2014-07-23 17:37 I would suggest using an existing IRC network rather than starting your own, but my reasoning is less technical and more practical. IRC has declined in users since it's peak in the first few years after 2000 and now there are already a huge number of networks with relatively few users. We don't need to fragment IRC any more than it already is. As a user, it's a lot more convenient to be able to use one network (or as few as possible) and just join different channels you are interested in rather than have to configure additional networks and accounts on those networks just to be in a few channels on each one. Some people will see having to join yet another network just to join one channel as a bother and decide not to participate. Do yourself a favor and pick a popular/major network that offers the most of what you want.