ChatNetChatNet
IRC since 1996, rebuilt from the original source and live again in 2026
Opens in your browser: pick a nickname and you are in #chatnet in seconds. No download, no account.
The network, right now
Five public servers from London to Dallas, linked through two hubsChatNet is the real 1996 network, not a new one borrowing its name. It's been rebuilt from its own original 1999–2006 source code, staff databases and historical logs, and it's running live again.
● Connect now
Point any IRC client at:
irc.chatnet.gg, port 6667 (plaintext) or 6697 (TLS)
No client installed? Use the Webchat, it runs straight in your browser, no setup.
Want to stay connected in the background, even with your browser closed? Try Grappa, our installable app with its own built-in bouncer.
New: Dragonix, a client and bouncer by oldmagic that feels like IRC meets Discord. It connects to ChatNet too.
● What is this place
ChatNet first went online in March 1996. The original ChatWorld services were written a few years later by Jesper "Pyra" Toft and Simon "Sharky" Ejsing, later rewritten in 2004 by Smith and Drizzt, and ran a real live community through at least January 2006.
In 2026 the original source was recovered and rebuilt to run again, faithfully, bug-for-bug where it mattered, on modern infrastructure. Read the full History.
★ What's running today
Full detail on Today, and what's next on the Roadmap, including IRCv3.
💬Services for you
Everyone gets access to these the moment they connect, no application, no waiting — except ChatWorld and OS, listed below for reference, which are staff-only. K9 has its own full command reference on the K9 page.
