Building ChatNova: How I'm bringing IRC into 2026 with a modern webchat

IRC is dead, right? That's what most people think. Discord won,
Slack took over the workplace, and IRC became that nostalgic thing
your older dev friends mention sometimes.

I disagree. And I'm building ChatNova to
prove it.

Why IRC, in 2026?

After years of using Discord and Slack daily, I started noticing
things that bothered me:

• Bloat: Discord eats RAM like it's free
• Centralization: One company, one server, one point of failure
• Walled gardens: You can't use your own client, your own bot, your own anything
• Constant feature creep: I just want to chat, not deal with another "AI Assistant" feature

IRC solves all of this. It's lightweight, federated by design,
client-agnostic, and has worked reliably since 1988.

But IRC has one real problem in 2026: the onboarding experience
is brutal for newcomers. Telling someone "download mIRC, configure
this server, type /join #channel" doesn't fly anymore.

That's the gap ChatNova fills.

The stack

ChatNova combines battle-tested IRC infrastructure with a modern
web frontend:

• InspIRCd as the IRC daemon — fast, modular, well-maintained
• Anope for services (NickServ, ChanServ, etc.)
• Node.js + SQLite custom backend for the webchat layer, user data, and integrations
• Custom frontend with a "Nova Cosmos" theme — designed to feel modern without losing the IRC spirit
• Custom bots:
  • NovaGuard — moderation and anti-spam
  • ResetBot — utilities and channel management
• Virtual shop system — gamification layer for active users

The key insight: the IRC backend is untouched. Anyone can connect
with HexChat, mIRC, Irssi, weechat — whatever they prefer. The
webchat is just a friendly door for newcomers.

What I learned building this

A few things surprised me along the way:

1. IRC daemons are incredibly mature.

InspIRCd handles thousands of users on a single small VPS. Modern
"chat platforms" use 10x more resources for less.

2. The hardest part isn't the backend.

It's making the webchat feel "native" to IRC users while staying
approachable for someone who's never used IRC.

3. Self-hosting is back in style.

With every Discord drama or Slack price hike, more communities are
looking for alternatives they can actually own.

Where it's at

ChatNova is currently in active development on a VPS, with a public
beta on the roadmap.

If you're curious or want to follow the journey:

• 🌐 Website: chatnova.fr
• 💬 IRC server: irc.chatnova.fr (ports 6667 / 6697 SSL)

I'd love feedback from the community — especially:

• What would make you try a new IRC network in 2026?
• What features matter to you in a modern webchat?
• Anything from the old IRC days you wish was still around?

Drop a comment, or come hang out on the network.

More technical posts coming soon — I'll write about the InspIRCd

• Node.js bridge architecture, the Nova Cosmos UI choices, and the bot system.

Cheers!