Connecting Clients

Connection Details

Transport	Port	Notes
IRC plaintext	`6667`	Standard TCP, no encryption
IRC SSL/TLS	`6697`	Encrypted with SSL/TLS
WebSocket	`8080`	For web-based clients
WebSocket SSL	`8443`	Encrypted WebSocket

Desktop IRC Clients

HexChat

Go to Server List → Add
Enter your server: irc.yourserver.com/6667 (or /6697 for SSL)
For SSL: check Use SSL
Optionally set SASL for authentication

WeeChat

/server add myserver irc.yourserver.com/6667
/server add myserver-ssl irc.yourserver.com/6697 -ssl
/connect myserver

With SASL authentication:

/set irc.server.myserver-ssl.sasl_mechanism plain
/set irc.server.myserver-ssl.sasl_username "YourNick"
/set irc.server.myserver-ssl.sasl_password "yourpassword"

Irssi

/connect irc.yourserver.com 6667
# For SSL:
/connect -ssl irc.yourserver.com 6697

Textual (macOS)

Use the Server Properties dialog:

Server Address: irc.yourserver.com
Port: 6697
Enable SSL/TLS: Yes

Web Clients

ElixIRCd supports WebSocket connections, making it compatible with browser-based IRC clients.

KiwiIRC

KiwiIRC can connect to ElixIRCd’s WebSocket endpoint:

For HTTP WebSocket: ws://irc.yourserver.com:8080
For HTTPS WebSocket: wss://irc.yourserver.com:8443

TheLounge

TheLounge can be configured with a WebSocket connection to ElixIRCd.

IRCv3 Capabilities

ElixIRCd supports many modern IRCv3 capabilities. When you connect, your client will negotiate capabilities during the CAP handshake. Features available to clients that request them:

Capability	What it enables
`SASL`	Authenticate before registration completes
`EXTENDED-JOIN`	JOIN messages include account name and real name
`AWAY-NOTIFY`	Real-time away status notifications
`ACCOUNT-NOTIFY`	Notification when users identify/logout
`ACCOUNT-TAG`	Account name attached to messages via message tags
`MESSAGE-TAGS`	Full IRCv3 message tag support
`SERVER-TIME`	Timestamps on messages
`MSGID`	Unique message identifiers
`MULTI-PREFIX`	Multiple status prefixes in NAMES replies
`UHNAMES`	Full user@host in NAMES replies
`CHGHOST`	Real-time hostname change notifications
`INVITE-NOTIFY`	Notification when users are invited to channels
`MONITOR`	Track online/offline status of specific users
`SETNAME`	Change real name during session
`CLIENT-TAGS`	Client-only metadata tags
`STS`	Strict Transport Security (auto-upgrade to TLS)

SASL Authentication

SASL allows you to authenticate before your connection registration completes. This is the most secure way to log in.

SASL PLAIN

The only supported SASL mechanism is PLAIN. The format is base64-encoded authzid\0authcid\0password.

Most clients handle SASL automatically. In WeeChat:

/set irc.server.myserver.sasl_mechanism plain
/set irc.server.myserver.sasl_username "YourNick"
/set irc.server.myserver.sasl_password "yourpassword"

Verifying Your Connection

After connecting, check your modes with:

/mode YourNick

If connected via TLS, you should see +Z (Secure Connection) in your modes.

If you’ve registered and identified, you should see +r (Registered).

Use WHOIS to see your connection info:

/whois YourNick