Overview
Ergo (formerly Oragono) is a modern IRC server written in Go that implements the latest IRCv3 specifications and bundles services (NickServ, ChanServ), a built-in bouncer for persistent connections, message history storage, and optional LDAP or Tor support. It is configured via a single YAML file and ships as a single binary with no external database dependency, using an embedded bbolt store for persistence.
Where it falls short of Slack
- IRC protocol only; no voice, video, reactions, or rich embeds expected by modern chat users.
- No web client included; users need a separate IRC client (WeeChat, HexChat, etc.) or an IRC-to-web bridge.
- Message history is limited and not searchable at scale compared to Slack's enterprise search.
- No integrations with productivity tools (calendars, task managers, CI/CD) without external bridges.
We list the gaps honestly so you can decide if the trade-off is worth owning your data.
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