The Lounge — Modern Self-Hosted IRC for the Browser

Introduction

The Lounge is a modern, self-hosted IRC application that runs in the browser. It maintains a persistent connection to IRC networks so you never miss messages, and its responsive design works well on desktop and mobile devices alike.

What The Lounge Does

• Provides a polished web UI for IRC with message history, notifications, and file uploads
• Stays connected to IRC networks 24/7 so you can read scrollback when you return
• Supports multi-user mode where each person has their own account and connections
• Offers link previews, image thumbnails, and media embeds inline in chat
• Pushes desktop and mobile notifications for highlights and private messages

Architecture Overview

The Lounge is a Node.js application using Express for HTTP and Socket.IO for real-time updates. The server maintains persistent TCP connections to configured IRC networks on behalf of each user. Chat logs and user configuration are stored on the local filesystem in JSON and SQLite. The frontend is built with Vue.js and renders a responsive single-page application.

Self-Hosting and Configuration

• Install globally via npm or yarn, or run the official Docker image
• Start with thelounge start; the web UI defaults to port 9000
• Add users with thelounge add USERNAME for multi-user setups
• Configure default networks, themes, and file upload limits in the YAML config file
• Place behind a reverse proxy (Nginx, Caddy) with HTTPS for production use

Key Features

• Always-on connection with full message history, even across browser restarts
• Push notifications via the Web Push API for mentions and direct messages
• Built-in file upload and image paste support
• LDAP authentication support for team deployments
• Themeable interface with light, dark, and community-contributed themes

Comparison with Similar Tools

• WeeChat + Glowing Bear — powerful but complex setup; The Lounge is simpler to deploy with a polished UI
• IRCCloud — hosted SaaS with similar features; The Lounge is free and self-hosted
• Quassel — split-core architecture requiring a native frontend; The Lounge works entirely in the browser
• ZNC + native app — ZNC is a bouncer only; The Lounge combines bouncer and UI in one package

FAQ

Q: Does The Lounge store chat history? A: Yes. Messages are persisted in SQLite by default and available when you reconnect.

Q: Can I use it on my phone? A: Yes. The web UI is fully responsive and supports installation as a Progressive Web App.

Q: Does it support IRC over TLS? A: Yes. TLS connections to IRC servers are supported and encouraged in the network configuration.

Q: How many users can it handle? A: The Lounge comfortably supports dozens of concurrent users on modest hardware. It is designed for small to medium teams.

Sources

• https://github.com/thelounge/thelounge
• https://thelounge.chat