irssi

Connect and chat on Internet Relay Chat

TLDR

Open Irssi and connect to a server with a nickname

$ irssi [[-n|--nick]] [nickname] [[-c|--connect]] [irc.example.com]

Open Irssi and connect with a specific server on a given port

$ irssi [[-c|--connect]] [irc.example.com] [[-p|--port]] [port]

[Interactive] Join a channel

$ /join [#channelname]

[Interactive] Change active window (starts at 1)

$ /win [window_number]

[Interactive] Exit the application cleanly and quitting any server(s)

$ /quit

Display help

$ irssi [[-?|--help]]

SYNOPSIS

irssi [options] [nick] [server[/password]]

-h, --help
    Display help message and exit

--version
    Show version information

--home=<PATH>
    Set irssi home directory (default: ~/.irssi)

--config=<FILE>
    Use alternative config file

--ident=<ID>
    Set ident (username) for connections

--name=<NAME>
    Set real name (ircname)

--nick=<NICK>
    Set default nickname

-n, --connect=<SERVER>
    Connect to specified server

-c, --clear
    Clear screen on startup

--script=<SCRIPT>
    Load specified Perl script

--noautoconnect
    Disable auto-connect to saved servers

-!, --away
    Start in away mode

DESCRIPTION

Irssi is a popular, lightweight terminal-based IRC client designed for Unix-like systems including Linux. It provides a modular, extensible environment for connecting to IRC servers, managing multiple channels, and interacting with users via text-based interface. Known for its efficiency and speed, Irssi supports scripting in Perl, server-side scripting, and advanced features like proxy support, SSL/TLS encryption, and multiple server connections.

Users can customize layouts, themes, keybindings, and behaviors through its configuration file (~/.irssi/config). It excels in screen/tmux environments for detached sessions, making it ideal for long-term IRC usage. Irssi offers powerful window management, query (private message) handling, and logging capabilities. Despite its power, it has a steep learning curve due to reliance on keyboard shortcuts and commands like /server, /join, and /window.

Developed with stability in mind, Irssi is keyboard-driven, resource-efficient, and avoids graphical dependencies, appealing to power users and system administrators.

CAVEATS

Irssi is terminal-only with a steep learning curve; requires familiarity with IRC protocol and commands. No built-in GUI; use screen/tmux for persistence. Default config may need tweaking for modern IRC networks with SASL/SSL.

CONFIG LOCATION

Default: ~/.irssi/config. Edit with /set or text editor; reload with /reload config

COMMON COMMANDS

/server add -auto -network Freenode irc.freenode.net 6667
/join #channel
/window new hide for multi-window management

SCRIPTING

Perl-based; install via /script install or ~/.irssi/scripts/. Popular: nickcolor, adv_windowlist

HISTORY

Irssi was created in 1999 by Timo Sirainen as a lightweight alternative to Epic IRC. It gained popularity in the 2000s for its speed and extensibility. Actively maintained, version 1.4.x series (as of 2023) supports modern features like IRCv3 capabilities. Focus remains on terminal efficiency and scripting.