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Ergo Hosting
Ergo is a modern IRC server with IRCv3, built-in accounts, channel history, and a TLS listener on the standard IRC port 6697.
- One click deploy
- 15 GB Disk Space Needed
- 1 GB RAM Memory needed
- From 2 € Price
No setup fees
Official links
Ergo’s official links and original website
- Go to Repository
Ergo GitHub
- More
Ergo Website
What you get
on AvaHost
One-click deployment, a custom domain, free HTTPS, automatic application updates, and scheduled backups come with every Cloud App. You can run multiple apps on one server, and terminal access is included.
This template does not include a database container.
Tech
- Docker image
- ghcr.io/ergochat/ergo:stable
- Default port
- 0
How Ergo works
Ergo, from the ergochat project, is an IRC server aimed at IRCv3. Accounts, channel registration, and history live in its own datastore. The Docker image ghcr.io/ergochat/ergo:stable ships a usable config and can generate a certificate so a first start answers on port 6697. The project recommends an init process in Docker. Persist the datastore by mounting a volume at /ircd. Plaintext on 6667 is loopback-only in the default config, because the manual argues that public plaintext invites interception. The public listener you should plan for is TLS on 6697.
Clients save a hostname and that port. They do not use a normal website as the chat session, though you may still put a small homepage on HTTPS if you want one. There is no PostgreSQL or MariaDB requirement in the default layout. The datastore is the /ircd directory.
Key Ergo features
Built-in accounts mean you do not have to bolt on a separate services daemon for nick and channel registration. History and SASL-style login are part of the modern IRC profile Ergo implements. Certificates can be replaced with ones you obtain for the hostname. The manual's reverse-proxy notes matter only if you put a load balancer in front, which this baseline does not assume.
AvaHost updates the container automatically and backs up the /ircd volume on a schedule. IRC networks live or die on the certificate and the port being reachable, so test a client connection after an upgrade. A dedicated public IP is required on this package so clients have a stable address for 6697. Application mail is not included with Ergo.
Ergo vs InspIRCd
Ergo
Ergo is one binary with accounts and history included, and its defaults push you toward TLS. InspIRCd is a modular daemon with a long list of official modules and a Docker image that exposes both client ports and server-link ports. Pick InspIRCd when you want that module set and you are ready to add services. Pick Ergo when you want the integrated account model.
InspIRCd
Both speak IRC. They do not share a config file, and a network linked between them is an operator project, not something this hosting page sets up.
Who uses Ergo
Small communities who want a modern IRC server without assembling services use Ergo. It also fits a private team channel with registered nicks. It is a weak fit if your operators already standardise on InspIRCd modules, or if you cannot publish port 6697 on a public address.
Self-hosting Ergo: requirements and cost
The baseline is 512 MB of RAM and half a CPU core, image ghcr.io/ergochat/ergo:stable, data on /ircd, no separate database container. On AvaHost the recommended minimum for Ergo is Plan 1 at €2. The Ergo package includes one-click deployment, a hostname, automatic updates, and scheduled backups. Automated HTTPS applies to any browser page. IRC itself uses the TLS listener on 6697. This deployment requires a dedicated public IP so clients can reach that listener on a stable address.
F.A.Q
Ergo starts at €2 on Plan 1. The price covers the ircd and its data volume, not a web chat farm and not a second services package. A busy network, lots of history, or file uploads through bots can justify more RAM or disk. Client software your users install is outside the plan.
Yes. Point the hostname at the dedicated address and tell clients to use port 6697 with TLS. A website certificate on port 443 does not replace that IRC listener. You still create operator credentials and decide whether registration is open. DNS stays in your zone.
AvaHost updates Ergo automatically and backs up the /ircd volume on a schedule, which is where accounts and history sit. After an update, connect with a client and confirm registration still works. Keep a copy of any certificate you installed yourself if it lives outside that volume.
Because IRC clients need a stable public endpoint on port 6697, and the default Ergo config keeps plaintext off the public internet. AvaHost therefore requires a dedicated public IP for this package, the same way it does for other non-HTTP listeners. The address does not choose your operator password or your channel policy.