Horrible at names. Great at chat.
Horrible.Dev is an independent IRC network for builders, tinkerers, ops nerds, retro internet enjoyers, and anyone who misses when communities were small enough to recognize nicks.
No algorithms. No engagement farming. Just channels, conversations, and people.
Web IRC connects you as you (separate browser clients), not a shared bouncer. Register your nick if you want identity persistence between sessions.
The world’s on fire. At least the chat can be stable.
Status: online (if it’s not, I’m already mad about it)
Connect
TLS (required)
Use this in HexChat, WeeChat, irssi, The Lounge, etc.
Server: irc.horrible.dev
Port: 6697
TLS/SSL: on
We do not offer plaintext IRC. If your client can’t do TLS, it can’t connect.
Register your nick
So you don’t get stuck as Guest123 forever.
/msg NickServ REGISTER yourPassword you@email
/msg NickServ IDENTIFY yourPassword
Use a unique password. Don’t reuse one from anything important.
Optional “modern IRC”
Want always-on history and multi-device sync? Layer it on.
Try The Lounge or Convos.
Web IRC
Use the web client
Don’t want to install anything? Use our hosted web IRC client. Each browser session connects as its own client.
Tip: register your nick so you keep your identity across sessions.
Why IRC?
IRC has been around since the 1990s. It’s established, simple enough to understand, and it still works. Not a trend. Not an algorithm. Just a spec that lets people talk.
Discord and social media turned nearly everything into shared spaces. Context collapses, conversations become performative, and people get stuck in the same multi-purpose room whether it makes sense or not.
IRC is simpler. Almost innocent in its raw form. Channels are smaller, boundaries are clearer, and participation is intentional. You join what you care about. You leave what you don’t.
You can keep the simplicity of a regular client, or you can go more “Discord-like” if you want: The Lounge and Convos add convenience without changing what IRC is.
At its core, IRC is for people who don’t want all the noise of modern platforms. No feeds. No metrics. No engagement farming. Just chat.
Channels
#general
Default hangout. Say hi. Lurk responsibly.
#horribledev
Builder corner: homelab, dev, ops, reverse engineering, tooling, and whatever we’re breaking today.
#triviatime
Get pissed off at a bot version of Alex Trebek.
Want a new channel? Make it. If you want it registered, /msg ChanServ HELP.
Bots & silly stuff
Jeopardy / Trivia
We’ve got games for when the channel gets bored and chaotic. It happens.
IdleRPG
Old-school “log in and accidentally level up” energy. Yes, really.
Weather and utilities
Quick lookups for weather and other lightweight commands. Useful and dumb in equal measure.
Privacy basics
TLS only
Connections to this network are encrypted (TLS required). We do not provide a plaintext port.
Host cloaking
We cloak hosts to reduce casual doxxing and IP harvesting. Your real IP should not be visible to other users.
Chat logging exists
IRC clients can log channels locally. Bouncers can store history. Treat public channels like public space.
Rules (don’t make this weird)
1) Don’t be a problem
No harassment, doxxing, bigotry, or targeted nonsense. We’ll remove you.
2) No spam, no raids
Flooding, invite spam, and “growth hacking” get you k-lined fast.
3) Keep it legal
Don’t use the network to trade illegal content or coordinate illegal activity.
4) Ops have jobs
Don’t litigate moderation in non-services channels. You can ignore people and exit channels.
This isn’t a democracy, it’s a chat server. If we have to choose between “free-for-all” and “usable,” we pick usable.
Help
Common commands
/join #channel
/nick NewNick
/whois Nick
/msg NickServ HELP
/msg ChanServ HELP
Trouble connecting?
If you get throttled or temporarily banned, stop reconnect loops and wait a bit. If it keeps happening, hit us up with the time and the exact message you saw.
Bouncers
ZNC and friends are allowed, but misconfigured reconnect spam will hit throttles fast. Web IRC is meant to behave like a normal client, not a shared bouncer.