RaekeNet How does IRC work?

■ STATUS: KNOWLEDGE BASE LOADED

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is one of the world's oldest chat systems that is still continuously developed today and maintains an active user base. Commercial messengers like WhatsApp or Discord force you into closed ecosystems: they analyze your data, link phone numbers and email addresses, and create profiles for advertising purposes. The open IRC protocol, on the other hand, offers you true digital freedom.

Here, data privacy is the top priority: there are no algorithms reading your conversations, and you do not need a phone number or a social media account to register – a freely chosen nickname is completely sufficient to maintain absolute anonymity. Furthermore, you are not tied to any official, bloated app; instead, you decide entirely on your own which client you want to use on your PC or smartphone. Because the protocol is extremely lightweight and text-based, it is incredibly resource-efficient, consumes barely any mobile data, and runs lightning-fast even on older hardware.

// The Basic Principle: Everything is temporary

When you enter the network, your nickname and the rooms (channels) you open are initially purely temporary. This means: as soon as you leave the chat, your nickname becomes available again and empty channels are automatically closed by the server.

// Management & Protection through Services

To ensure that your nicknames and rooms remain protected even during your absence, and so that the room can still be used by others in the meantime, Anope Services are available. They do not just serve for a one-time registration, but also help the room creator (founder) with complete management:

NickServ: Secures your desired nickname with a password, protects it from being used by unauthorized third parties in your absence, and saves your personal settings.
ChanServ: Takes over the seamless administration of your channel. It holds the fort in the background around the clock, controls automated settings (modes), and assigns users their predefined permissions when they enter.

// Managing Permissions in Your Own Channel

Once you have registered a channel via ChanServ, you are the founder. You can permanently add friends and helpers to your room's access list. Important: The prerequisite for this is that these individuals have also registered their nickname, so that ChanServ can identify them without a doubt:

SOP (Super Operators): Are automatically appointed as Protected Ops upon entering and receive the symbol & before their name. They have almost full permissions.
AOP (Auto Operators): Are automatically appointed as a normal operator (symbol @) upon entering the channel.
VOP (Voiced Users): Automatically receive speaking rights (symbol +) upon entering, in case the room is moderated.

// Control via "Modes" (Status Flags)

In IRC, the behavior of users and rooms is controlled via so-called modes (letter flags). To protect your privacy, your real IP address is masked by default on RaekeNet using a cloak key (user mode +x) and is never visible to normal users. A detailed overview of all available commands and status flags can be found on our Commands page.