The Lounge
Self-hosted web IRC client.
Maintained, but at a slower pace than the leaders in its category.
Commit activity more than 32% of tracked projects; popularity more than 71%. How this is calculated.
Commits, last 11 months
| Stars | 6.3k |
|---|---|
| Latest release | v4.6.0-pre.1 · 22 Jul 2026 |
| Repo updated | 13 Sept 2026 |
| Licence | MIT |
| Built with | Nodejs, Docker |
Is The Lounge actively maintained?
The Lounge is under active development: 108 commits landed over the last 11 months, averaging roughly 14 commits a month in the most recent quarter.
The most recent tagged release, v4.6.0-pre.1, shipped about two months ago — a current, installable version exists today.
The Lounge ranks #4 of 11 in Communication - IRC, placing it mid-table for maintenance activity.
What The Lounge actually does
The Lounge is a self-hosted web IRC client that runs on your own infrastructure. It maintains a persistent connection to chat networks so you can access your channels and direct messages from a browser.
Best fit: It suits individuals or teams who rely on IRC for communication and want a centralized, always-on web client accessible from multiple devices.
Worth knowing: You will need to manage user authentication and ensure your server is properly secured, as running an exposed web chat client carries inherent access risks.
Deployment notes
Deployment typically involves running a Docker container, where you will need to map persistent storage for user configurations and place the service behind a reverse proxy to handle TLS termination.
Alternatives to The Lounge
Projects in the same categories, ordered by health score.
Fast, light and extensible chat client.
Modular IRC server written in C++ for Linux, BSD, Windows, and macOS.
Modern IRCv3 server written in Go, combining the features of an ircd, a services framework, and a bouncer.
Advanced IRC bouncer.
Modular, advanced and highly configurable IRC server written in C for Linux, BSD, Windows, and macOS.
Portable and lightweight Internet Relay Chat server for small or private networks.