IRC

XMPP to IRC gateway

IRC is a real time communication protocol based on text.

Disroot Chat allows you to connect to any IRC channel, on any server, using your XMPP client of choice. This is possible thanks to Biboumi, a gateway that connects both protocols and allows access to IRC channels as if they were XMPP rooms. Our gateway is hosted at irc.disroot.org

How does it work?

Joining a channel

To join an IRC channel using your XMPP client, use the following schema:

#channelname%irc.network.tld@irc.disroot.org

For example, to join #archlinux channel on the Freenode IRC network you need to use the following format:

#archlinux%irc.freenode.net@irc.disroot.org

Make sure to provide the correct channel name (#channel) and IRC server's address (irc.network.ltd).
@irc.disroot.org must remain as it is pointing to our Biboumi's address.

Private chats (1:1)

The gateway also allows private chats with IRC users (1 on 1 chat). To start a private chat with a user on IRC, you need to use the following syntax:

nick%irc.network.tld@irc.disroot.org

Where nick is the username you want to talk to.

Nicknames

While on XMPP a user can have a different nickname for each room, IRC nicknames are server-wide, which means that a user only has one single nickname on all the channels of a server. So, the nickname you choose when joining an IRC channel on a given server will be the same in all other channels that you join on that same server.

Keep in mind that if you change your nickname on an IRC channel, it will be changed on all channels on the same server as well. To have a different nickname in a channel you are about to join, you will need to do it explicitly with the /nick command before joining the channel.

For example: /nick yournickname (most IRC servers limit the nickname to 9 characters)

User settings

IRC settings can be configured at three different levels:

  1. Transport Level: irc.disroot.org
  2. Network Level: irc.network.tld@irc.disroot.org
  3. Channel Level: #channel%irc.network.tld@irc.disroot.org

If there are common options across all the levels, priority or over-ride of those settings is set in the following way:

1. Channel > 2. Network > 3. Transport

Short-term / one-shot setup

  1. Join chat #channel%irc.network.tld@irc.disroot.org, with a chosen nick.
  2. You will get messages from irc.network.tld@irc.disroot.org. If your nick is registered, send message NickServ IDENTIFY password.
  3. Start chatting in #channel.

To setup a different channel on the same network just repeat steps 1 and 3. To setup a different channel but on a different network then repeat steps 1 to 3.

Long-term / recurring setup

  1. Add irc.disroot.org to your roaster.
  2. Execute ad-hoc command on it, then enable history and persistence.
  3. Add irc.network.tld@irc.disroot.org to your roaster.
  4. Execute ad-hoc command on it, then add your username (nick) and password (nick password).
  5. Add #channel%irc.network.tld@irc.disroot.org to bookmarks and then join.
  6. Execute ad-hoc command on it, then enable history and persistence.
  7. Start chatting in #channel.

To join a different channel on the same network, repeat steps 5 to 7. But if you want to join a different channel on a different network then repeat steps 3 to 7.