What is IRC? What is an IRC Network?
IRC (short for Internet Relay Chat) is an internet protocol designed to allow group and person-to-person text-based chat. An IRC Network is a collection of IRC servers connected to each other. IRC networks usually differentiate themselves by theme. For example, QuakeNet is a mostly gaming oriented network.
Connecting to an IRC Network is easily accomplished using an IRC client such as mIRC, weechat, kvirc or irssi, which are among the most popular ones (links needed) or you could use our online webchat client. When you connect to a server on a specific network, the entire network is available to you. To see a list of QuakeNet’s servers, click here.
Group chat on IRC is done in chat rooms (referred to as channels), which can hold an unlimited number of chatters simultaneously. Channel names start with a hash mark (#) and feature a channel topic, modes, and more. Person to person chat is also possible, usually by double-clicking on the person you want to chat with.
The IRC protocol accepts commands to do various things on the network. Commands are usually prefixed with a forward slash (/). The most common ones that are available across most IRC clients and networks are /join to join a channel, /part to leave a channel, and /query to private-message a user.
If you would like to learn more about IRC, you can browse our help articles.
Other help articles under General Help
- Can I join QuakeNet staff?
- Can I register my nickname?
- Can you give me flags on #channel?
- Contact information.
- Do you support IPv6?
- How do I add/remove someone on a channel?
- How do I link a server to QuakeNet?
- How do I register my channel?
- How do I set/unset channel/user modes?
- I am banned from a channel for no reason, why?
- I'm G/K-lined, what can I do?
- I own a channel - what are my responsibilities?
- I've banned a user, but he keeps on rejoining. What to do?
- I've lost my password!
- I want a channel but there is already someone in it. What can I do?
- My channel is G-lined, what can I do?
- My #channel is suspended/G-lined!
- Nobody has ops in my channel, what can I do?
- People are flooding me, what can I do?
- People are join/part flooding my channel, help!
- Someone has taken my nick.
- Someone is abusive towards me, what should I do?
- Someone took over our channel!
- There is only Q/someone on a channel, can I have that channel?
- What are IRC Operators?
- What are the official channels?
- What channel modes are available on QuakeNet?
- What do those G-line reasons mean?
- What do those quit messages mean?
- What do those symbols before channels in a WHOIS mean?
- What is a g/k-line?
- What is a 'mask'?
- What is a QuakeNet account?
- What is IRC? What is an IRC Network?
- What services does QuakeNet have for its users?
- What user modes are available on QuakeNet?
- Why can't I remove channel mode +d?
- Why can't I see people joining my channel?
- Why do I get error 'bad username' when I try to connect to QuakeNet?
- Why do I receive "Cannot send to channel"?
- Why should I use QuakeNet?