IRC vs Discord

Developers should learn IRC for participating in open-source projects, technical support communities, and real-time collaboration where lightweight, persistent chat is needed meets developers should learn discord for building and engaging with communities, such as open-source projects, tech support groups, or online learning environments. Here's our take.

IRC

Nice Pick

Developers should learn IRC for participating in open-source projects, technical support communities, and real-time collaboration where lightweight, persistent chat is needed

Pros

• It's particularly useful for accessing developer channels on networks like Freenode (now Libera Chat) or OFTC, where many software projects host discussions, announcements, and help desks
• Related to: slack, discord

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Discord

Developers should learn Discord for building and engaging with communities, such as open-source projects, tech support groups, or online learning environments

Pros

• It's particularly useful for real-time collaboration, hosting developer meetups, and integrating with development tools via bots and webhooks
• Related to: discord-api, discord-bots

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. IRC is a tool while Discord is a platform. We picked IRC based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

IRC wins

Based on overall popularity. IRC is more widely used, but Discord excels in its own space.