Quassel IRC

Quassel IRC provides a graphical, cross‑platform IRC experience built around a central core that maintains connections and state. Clients can attach to or detach from this core at any time, allowing users to keep their chat sessions persistent across devices and operating systems, including Linux, Windows, macOS, and Android. The core is self‑hostable, free of subscription, and distributed under the GPL‑2.0 license, with source code available for inspection and modification.

The system is designed for users who need continuous IRC access without relying on a single terminal session, similar to using screen with a text‑based client but with a graphical interface. Administrators can manage users and passwords via command‑line tools, and the core stores data in a local database. Official stable releases are offered for the major platforms, while nightly builds and community‑contributed unofficial versions are also accessible.

Development is coordinated through a public wiki, bug tracker, and IRC channels on Libera Chat, where contributors can submit pull requests and discuss issues. The project emphasizes a comfortable chatting experience, adherence to IRCv3 capabilities, and extensibility through open‑source licensing.