WeeChat overview: free open-source, extensible ncurses IRC client with scripting support, SASL authentication, and a relay protocol for mobile clients.
WeeChat is a free, open-source Internet Relay Chat client created in 2003 and designed to be light, fast, and highly extensible. It runs primarily through a terminal-based ncurses interface, making it popular with developers and system administrators who prefer keyboard-driven, text-based tools.
Its plugin architecture separates a small core from independently loadable plugins, the most important of which handles IRC connectivity, while a relay plugin lets other interfaces, including web and mobile clients, connect to a running WeeChat session remotely.
WeeChat is commonly run on a remote server inside a terminal multiplexer like tmux or screen, giving users a persistent, always-connected IRC presence they can reattach to from any device.
The IRC plugin supports multiple simultaneous servers and networks, proxy support, IPv6, SASL authentication, DCC transfers, and a nicklist, covering the functionality most IRC power users need.
Scripting support spans eight languages, including Python, Perl, Ruby, Lua, Tcl, Guile, JavaScript, and PHP, with a built-in script manager for browsing and installing community scripts that add bots, notifications, and custom behavior.
The interface offers 256-color support, customizable status bars, smart filtering, and horizontal or vertical window splits so multiple channels can be monitored at once.
WeeChat is entirely free and open source under the GPL-3.0-or-later license, with no paid tier, subscription, or commercial edition.
All core functionality, plugins, and scripting capabilities are available to anyone who downloads and installs the software.
The only associated cost is optional: hosting a remote server if a user chooses to run WeeChat persistently in the cloud rather than locally.
Yes, WeeChat is entirely free and open source under the GPL-3.0-or-later license.
Linux, macOS, the BSDs, Windows, and other Unix-like systems including Solaris and Haiku.
Not natively, but its relay protocol supports mobile and web clients such as Glowing Bear that connect to a running WeeChat session.
Yes, in Python, Perl, Ruby, Lua, Tcl, Guile, JavaScript, and PHP, with a built-in script manager.
Its core is protocol-agnostic, but the built-in and primary supported plugin is for IRC; other protocols require community plugins or bridges.
Sebastien Helleu created WeeChat in June 2003, and it continues to be actively developed by its open-source community.
Yes, including SSL/TLS encryption and SASL authentication.