macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install irciilocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install irciiMacPorts ports tree · irc/ircii/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ircii with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts
IRC and ICB client. Version 20260115 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add irciiAlpine Linux edge package indexes · ircii · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install irciiDebian stable package indexes · ircii · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
IRC and ICB client
Project links
Commands and aliases
- irc
- irc-20260115
- ircbug
- ircflush
history
Project history and usage
ircII is a source-distributed Unix IRC and ICB client maintained by the ircII project. It is important in package history because it represents the early terminal IRC client tradition from which several later Unix IRC clients took inspiration or code.
Project history
The project site describes ircII as an IRC and ICB client for most Unix platforms, distributed in source form and maintained by a group that incorporates fixes and features. Its release news shows date-stamped source releases continuing through the 2000s and 2010s, including changes for SSL IRC servers, UTF-8 handling, lastlog behavior, macOS fixes, sanitizer-derived bug fixes, and generated HTML help.
The package's long-lived source archive style is part of its identity: the project publishes tarballs and a daily expanded source tree rather than presenting a modern forge as the primary source-control interface.
Adoption history
ircII appears in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, MacPorts, Alpine, and other package indexes because it remains a compact terminal client for IRC users who prefer a classic Unix interface. IRC help material also documents ircII as a Unix-shell client and discusses EPIC and other clients in relation to ircII.
How it is used
Users run `irc` or versioned helper binaries from a terminal to connect to IRC or ICB services. The Debian manpage describes it as a full-screen termcap interface that exposes normal IRC functions plus additional options, which matches its package-manager role as a lightweight console chat client.
Why package nerds care
ircII is package-nerd material because it preserves an older Unix distribution model: source tarballs, termcap UI, generated help files, and small command-line companion programs. Its versioned executable names in package managers are a reminder that old IRC clients often need to coexist with scripts and user habits built over decades.
Timeline
- 2006: Project news lists public releases in July 2006.
- 2011: Project news lists the 20110228 and 20111115 releases.
- 2014: Releases added HTTP proxy and SSL IRC server support, followed by resize and display fixes.
- 2017: A release focused on UTF-8, log, lastlog, resize, and macOS fixes.
- 2019: Releases added lastlog restore support and early HTML help conversion.
- 2021: A release included memory leak, crash, and sanitizer-derived fixes.
- 2024: The project published 20240111 and 20240918 source releases.
- 2026: The project published the 20260115 source release.
Related projects
- ircII is historically adjacent to other Unix IRC clients such as EPIC, BitchX, ScrollZ, Irssi, and WeeChat, and to ICB clients through its combined IRC/ICB support.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:client
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
irc | cli | global executable | |
irc-20260115 | cli | global executable | |
ircbug | cli | global executable | |
ircflush | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version20260115
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
http://www.eterna23.net/ircii/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.http://www.eterna23.net/ircii/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ircii |
|---|---|
| Version | 20260115 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ircii |
| Homepage | http://www.eterna23.net/ircii/ |
| Upstream docs | http://www.eterna23.net/ircii |
| License | BSD-3-Clause AND BSD-2-Clause AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND MIT AND LicenseRef-Homebrew-public-domain |
| Source archive | https://ircii.warped.com/ircii-20260115.tar.bz2 |
| Dependencies | openssl@3 |
| Uses from macOS | libxcrypt, ncurses |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | ircii |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
ircii 20240918-1
Internet Relay Chat client
http://www.eterna.com.au/ircii/
sudo apt install ircii- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ircii
Ubuntu apt95%
ircii 20210328-2build3
Internet Relay Chat client
http://www.eterna.com.au/ircii/
sudo apt install ircii- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ircii
apk95%
ircii 20260115-r1
Universal IRC for Unix systems
http://www.eterna23.net/ircii/
sudo apk add ircii- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ircii
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ircii
apk95%
ircii-doc 20260115-r1
Universal IRC for Unix systems (documentation)
http://www.eterna23.net/ircii/
sudo apk add ircii-doc- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ircii
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ircii
MacPorts95%
ircii
sudo port install ircii- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ircii
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment