Internet[1] Relay Chat (IRC) is a protocol developed by Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988 for instant text-based communication. It was designed primarily for group discussions in forums but also supports private messaging and data, including file transfer capabilities. IRC operates on a client-server networking model with the first network running on a server named tolsun.oulu.fi. Users can connect to IRC servers using various client programs such as Mibbit, IRCCloud, KiwiIRC, and mIRC, which can be web applications, standalone desktop software, or part of more extensive software. Despite its popularity, IRC usage has been on the decline since 2003, losing 60% of its users. Nevertheless, it remains a significant part of internet communication history.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a text-based chat system for messagerie instantanée. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages as well as chat and data transfer, including partage de fichiers.
Protocole de communication | |
Abbreviation | IRC |
---|---|
Purpose | Messagerie instantanée |
Developer(s) | Jarkko Oikarinen |
Introduction | August 1988 |
Influenced | Not yet superseded IRCv3 (standards process working group) |
OSI layer | Application layer |
Port(s) | 6667, 6697 |
RFC(s) | RFC 1459 |
Internet Relay Chat is implemented as an application layer protocol to facilitate communication in the form of text. The chat process works on a client–server networking model. Users connect, using a client—which may be a web app, a standalone desktop program, or embedded into part of a larger program—to an IRC server, which may be part of a larger IRC network. Examples of programs used to connect include Mibbit, IRCCloud, KiwiIRCet mIRC.
IRC usage has been declining steadily since 2003, losing 60 percent of its users. In April 2011, the top 100 IRC networks served more than 200,000 users at a time.