Knowledgebase · About IRC & AustNet

What is IRC?

Updated 8 Sep 2026 Support Operations

Internet Relay Chat is a real-time text protocol dating from 1988. How it works, what makes it different from Discord and Slack, and why people still use it.

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About AustNet

AustNet is an Australian IRC network. A brief history, what makes it different, and who runs it.

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AustNet services: NickOP, ChanOP, and HelpOP explained

NickOP manages nickname registrations, ChanOP manages channel registrations, and HelpOP provides in-network help. How each one works.

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Finding channels to join on AustNet

Browse the public channel list at austnet.org/channels, use /list in your client, or join #help to ask for recommendations.

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How AustNet is structured: servers and routing

AustNet runs InspIRCd. How IRC servers link together, what irc.austnet.org resolves to, and what to do if one server is unreachable.

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