Setting Up an IRC or Matrix Server for Your Community
Introduction
In an era dominated by centralized chat platforms, running your own IRC or Matrix server offers full control, privacy, and customization. Whether you’re building a developer community, a gaming guild, or a niche group, a self-hosted server lets you define rules, enforce security, and integrate bots or bridges.
Why Self-Host
- Privacy Ownership: All logs and user data remain under your jurisdiction.
- Customization: Tailor the look, bots, modules, and integrations.
- Security: Choose your TLS, firewall, VPN, and hardening policies.
- Reliability: Avoid third-party outages on commercial platforms.
Prerequisites
- A server or VPS running a Unix-like OS (Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, etc.).
- Root or sudo privileges.
- A valid domain name (e.g., chat.example.com).
- Basic knowledge of DNS, systemd, and firewall configuration.
- TLS certificate (Let’s Encrypt or purchased).
- Optional VPN for secure admin access:
ProtonVPN,
NordVPN, or
Mullvad.
Comparing IRC vs Matrix
| Feature | IRC | Matrix |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol | Text-based, decades old | Modern, JSON-over-HTTP/WebSockets |
| End-to-end Encryption | No (server-side only SSL/TLS) | Yes (Olm/Megolm) |
| Bridging | Requires external bots | Built-in bridges (IRC, Slack, etc.) |
| Scalability | Lightweight, low resource | Higher resource demands |
Part I: Deploying an IRC Server
1. Choosing Your IRC Daemon
- UnrealIRCd: Rich modules, SSL/TLS, server linking.
- InspIRCd: Modular, well-documented, easily extensible.
- ngIRCd: Lightweight, simple configuration.
2. Installation Example: InspIRCd on Debian/Ubuntu
- Update system:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade. - Install dependencies:
sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config libssl-dev git. - Clone and build:
git clone https://github.com/inspircd/inspircd.git.
mkdir inspircd/build cd inspircd/build
../configure --prefix=/opt/inspircd --with-openssl
make sudo make install - Create a systemd service /etc/systemd/system/inspircd.service:
Description=InspIRCd IRC Server
After=network.target
[Service]
Type=forking
User=inspircd
ExecStart=/opt/inspircd/bin/inspircd start
ExecStop=/opt/inspircd/bin/inspircd stop
Restart=on-failure
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Enable and start:
sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false inspircd.
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable inspircd
sudo systemctl start inspircd
3. Configuring TLS with Let’s Encrypt
- Install Certbot and generate cert:
sudo apt install certbot.
sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d irc.example.com - In InspIRCd config inspircd.conf, under ltopensslgt:
cafile=/etc/letsencrypt/live/irc.example.com/chain.pem/>
Reload:
sudo systemctl restart inspircd.
4. Setting Up Services (NickServ, ChanServ)
While InspIRCd offers Config::OperOnly modules, you may choose Anope Services:
- Download Anope, configure anope.conf with your IRCd details.
- Define network name, admin contacts, service ports.
- Enable TLS in Anope to secure SASL auth.
- Run via systemd or init script.
5. Basic Channel Operator Configuration
- Register operator accounts in server config.
- Define auto-join channels, default modes.
- Use ChanServ to enforce nt and s modes.
Part II: Deploying a Matrix Server
1. Choosing Your Matrix Home Server
- Synapse: Official reference server, Python-based, widely used.
- Dendrite: Golang, lighter weight, still maturing.
2. Installation Example: Synapse on Ubuntu
- Install dependencies:
sudo apt install lsb-release wget apt-transport-https. - Add Matrix repo and key:
wget -O /usr/share/keyrings/matrix-archive-keyring.gpg.
https://packages.matrix.org/debian/matrix-org-archive-keyring.gpg
echo deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/matrix-archive-keyring.gpg]
https://packages.matrix.org/debian/ (lsb_release -cs) main
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/matrix-org.list - Install Synapse:
sudo apt update.
sudo apt install matrix-synapse-py3 - During setup enter your server name (e.g., matrix.example.com).
3. Database TLS Configuration
By default Synapse uses SQLite. For production, switch to PostgreSQL:
- Install PostgreSQL and create user/db.
- Modify homeserver.yaml to point to PostgreSQL connection URI.
- Use Certbot as before for TLS and configure your reverse proxy (nginx or Caddy):
listen 80
server_name matrix.example.com
return 301 https://hostrequest_uri
}
server {
listen 443 ssl
server_name matrix.example.com
ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/matrix.example.com/fullchain.pem
ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/matrix.example.com/privkey.pem
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:8008
proxy_set_header Host host
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For remote_addr
}
}
4. User Registration Moderation
- Enable registration publicly or invite-only via enable_registration.
- Set up room_version defaults and content scanner integrations.
- Define admins and moderators in server_admins list.
5. Bridging IRC Other Networks
Use the matrix-appservice-irc to bridge IRC channels:
- Install via
npm install -g matrix-appservice-irc. - Configure config.yaml with IRC networks and channel mappings.
- Run the bridge as a systemd service.
Maintenance Best Practices
- Regularly update your OS, daemons, and dependencies.
- Backup configuration files, databases, and TLS keys.
- Monitor logs (systemd, IRCd logs, synapse logs) and set up alerts.
- Harden SSH: disable password auth, use key-based login, change port.
- Use a VPN (ProtonVPN, NordVPN, Mullvad) for remote administration.
Conclusion
Deploying your own IRC or Matrix server empowers you with control, privacy, and flexibility. While IRC is ultra-lightweight and time-tested, Matrix provides modern encryption and rich integration possibilities. Choose the platform that best fits your community’s needs, follow the steps above, and you’ll have a robust, secure chat environment under your own governance.
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