| Communication protocol | |
| Abbreviation | IRC |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Instant messaging |
| Developer(s) | Jarkko Oikarinen |
| Introduction | August 1988 |
| Influenced | Discord IRCv3 (standards process working group) |
| OSI layer | Application layer |
| Port(s) | 6667, 6697 |
| RFC(s) | RFC 1459 |
| Internet protocol suite |
|---|
| Application layer |
| Transport layer |
| Internet layer |
| Link layer |
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a text-based chat system for instant messaging. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels,[1] but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages[2] as well as chat and data transfer,[3] including file sharing.[4]
Internet Relay Chat is implemented as an application layer protocol to facilitate communication in the form of text. The chat process works on a client–server networking model. Users connect, using a client—which may be a web app, a standalone desktop program, or embedded into part of a larger program—to an IRC server, which may be part of a larger IRC network. Examples of programs used to connect include Mibbit, IRCCloud, KiwiIRC, and mIRC.
IRC usage has been declining steadily since 2003, losing 60 percent of its users.[5] In April 2011, the top 100 IRC networks served more than 200,000 users at a time.[6]
- ^ "One-to-many". Internet Relay Chat Protocol. p. 11. sec. 3.2. doi:10.17487/RFC1459. RFC 1459.
- ^ "One-To-One Communication". Internet Relay Chat: Architecture. p. 5. sec. 5.1. doi:10.17487/RFC2810. RFC 2810.
- ^ Rollo, Troy. "A Description of the DCC Protocol". IRCHelp.org. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- ^ Wang, Wallace (25 October 2004). "Instant Messaging and Online Chat Rooms: Internet Relay Chat (IRC)". Steal this File Sharing Book (1st ed.). San Francisco, California: No Starch Press. pp. 61–67. ISBN 978-1-59327-050-6.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
pingdomwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "IRC Networks – Top 100". irc.netsplit.de. Retrieved 26 October 2023.