How does IRC chat work?

IRC servers on the internet accept and relay messages to connected users, each of whom is running an IRC client. Each network has one or more servers around the world that work together to relay messages. Each network also has many channels, sometimes called rooms, where users can gather.

Do people still chat on IRC?

Today, there are still over 2,000 IRC servers and almost 500 IRC networks (groups of affiliated servers) operating worldwide. Even though IRCs population is only a fraction of what it used to be, a core group of people who just want basic text chat are still on there chatting to this day.

Are IRC servers safe?

IRC is secure… Even though encryption is not mandated by IRC or enabled by default in many cases, you can still enforce encrypted client-server or server-server connections on your IRC server.

Is discord similar to IRC?

Discord, overwhelmingly. Every IRC community I used to be a part of even a year ago has made the jump. Discord provides seamless cloud message logging, mobile notifications, intuitive clients, a huge ecosystem of easy-to-use bots, and integration with games that just works without the user having to set anything up.