Ergo

Ergo is a modern, self‑hosted IRC daemon written entirely in Go. Designed as a single binary that combines the core ircd, services framework, and bouncer functionality, it delivers a feature‑rich experience while remaining lightweight. The project embraces the IRCv3 specification as its baseline, making it an excellent reference implementation for developers who need a compliant server that can be extended or customized on the fly. With a YAML configuration that can be rehashed at runtime, operators can tweak network settings without downtime—a critical advantage for high‑availability environments.

Key Features & Core Capabilities

• Integrated services – NickServ, ChanServ, and HostServ are bundled in the core binary, providing account management, channel registration, and vanity host handling without external daemons.
• Bouncer‑like history replay – The server stores message history and allows multiple clients to share a nickname, enabling seamless reconnections.
• TLS/SSL & SASL – Native support for TLS, client certificates, and SASL authentication (including bcrypt‑hashed passwords) ensures secure connections out of the box.
• LDAP integration – A dedicated plugin (ergo-ldap) allows authentication against external LDAP directories, facilitating corporate deployments.
• Advanced privilege system – Operators can fine‑tune operator levels, and the server exposes an API for custom privilege checks.
• Unified ban system (UBAN) – A single command can target IPs, networks, masks, or registered accounts, simplifying moderation scripts.
• Extensibility – Plugins can be written in Go and hot‑loaded, while webhooks and custom APIs expose server events to external services.
• Internationalization – Multi‑language support via Crowdin enables localized operator and user messages, useful for global communities.

Architecture & Technical Stack

Ergo’s architecture is intentionally modular. The core ircd engine is written in Go, leveraging goroutines for concurrency and the standard library’s TLS implementation. Configuration is parsed from YAML using gopkg.in/yaml.v2, and the server can rehash this file at runtime, reloading TLS certificates and service settings without a restart. Data persistence is minimal: user accounts are stored in an SQLite database (or any file‑based store), while channel metadata and ban lists are kept in memory with optional persistence via JSON snapshots. The plugin system is built on Go’s plugin package, allowing dynamic loading of shared objects compiled separately.

For deployment, Ergo ships as a single statically‑linked binary that runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Containerization is straightforward; the Dockerfile in the repository exposes ports 6667/6697 and mounts a configuration volume. Kubernetes operators or Helm charts can be built on top of this base, with sidecar containers handling TLS termination or LDAP synchronization.

Deployment & Infrastructure

Because Ergo is a single binary, it scales horizontally by running multiple instances behind a load balancer that can distribute connections based on nickname or channel membership. The server supports IPv4 and IPv6, and its event loop can be tuned via command‑line flags or configuration knobs. For high‑traffic networks, operators typically run Ergo in a container cluster with persistent storage for the SQLite database and shared TLS certificates. The built‑in rehash capability eliminates service interruptions during configuration changes, which is invaluable for production networks that require continuous uptime.

Integration & Extensibility

Developers can hook into Ergo’s event system by implementing the EventHandler interface and registering it as a plugin. Events such as OnUserJoin, OnMessage, or OnNickChange can trigger external actions, like logging to a SIEM or updating an LDAP directory. Webhooks are available for common IRC events, allowing integration with chatops platforms or monitoring dashboards. The server also exposes a REST‑like API for administrative tasks (e.g., banning users, retrieving channel lists), which can be authenticated via SASL or API keys.

Developer Experience & Community

The project’s documentation is comprehensive: an operator manual (MANUAL.md), a user guide (USERGUIDE.md), and a dedicated specifications page (specs.html). The Go codebase follows idiomatic practices, with extensive unit tests and a continuous‑integration pipeline that ensures high code quality (as reflected in the Go Report Card badge). Community support is active on GitHub Issues, and the project encourages contributions through its open‑source license. The use of standard protocols (IRCv3, TLS, LDAP) means that existing client libraries and tools integrate seamlessly.

Use Cases

• Corporate IRC – Secure, LDAP‑backed authentication with SASL and TLS fits enterprise environments.
• Community networks – Built‑in services (NickServ, ChanServ) reduce operational overhead for hobbyist or open‑source communities.
• Developer testing – The testnet instance and rehashable configuration make Ergo ideal for fuzzing, protocol compliance testing, or educational purposes.
• Multi‑tenant hosting – The plugin system and privilege model allow a single instance to serve multiple isolated networks or channels.

Advantages Over Alternatives

Ergo’s primary strengths lie in its simplicity (single binary, minimal external dependencies), compliance with IRCv3 standards, and runtime configurability (rehashable YAML). Its Go implementation delivers low latency and efficient memory usage, while the plugin architecture offers extensibility without compromising stability. Licensing under an open‑source model removes vendor lock‑in, and the active community ensures timely security patches. For developers seeking a modern IRC solution that can be deployed quickly, scaled horizontally, and customized extensively, Ergo presents a compelling choice.