Badwolf Web IRC Client for WordPress Plugin Directory

A modern, feature-rich WebSocket IRC client for WordPress. Connect your website visitors to your IRC server with real-time chat, private messaging, desktop notifications, and a beautiful tabbed interface.

Version 5.2.0 – What’s New 🔧 WordPress 6.9 Compatibility

FIXED: Plugin now works perfectly with WordPress 6.9

FIXED: Script loading issues with block themes and Full Site Editing (FSE)

FIXED: Configuration passing to JavaScript

🔌 WebSocket Improvements

FIXED: Connection stability issues

FIXED: Binary WebSocket data handling

ADDED: IRC subprotocol support for UnrealIRCd

⚙️ User Experience

ADDED: Settings link in plugin list for easy access

IMPROVED: Error handling and logging

IMPROVED: Connection reliability

Features

✅ Real-time IRC chat via secure WebSocket (wss://)

✅ Private messaging between users

✅ Desktop notifications for mentions and PMs

✅ Multiple channel support with tabbed interface

✅ User list with right-click context menus

✅ Command history (use arrow keys)

✅ Auto-reconnection with smart retry logic

✅ Customizable themes (light/dark)

✅ Mobile-responsive design

✅ IRC commands support (/nick, /join, /part, /msg, /me)

✅ Tab completion for nicknames

✅ Unread message badges

✅ Message history (500 messages per channel)

Requirements

WordPress: 5.0 or higher (tested up to 6.9)

PHP: 7.4 or higher

IRC Server: UnrealIRCd 6.x with WebSocket support (recommended)

SSL Certificate: Valid SSL/TLS certificate for secure WebSocket (wss://)

Configuration WordPress Settings Navigate to Settings → Badwolf Web IRC Client and configure:

WebSocket URL: Your IRC server WebSocket URL (e.g., wss://irc.example.com:7443)

Default Channel: IRC channel to join (e.g., #general)

Nickname Prefix: Prefix for auto-generated nicknames (e.g., guest)

Real Name: Default real name for users

Theme: Light or Dark theme

Auto Connect: Automatically connect when page loads

UnrealIRCd Server Configuration Your UnrealIRCd server must have WebSocket support enabled:

`conf

Load WebSocket module

loadmodule “websocket”;

Configure WebSocket listener

listen {

ip *;

port 7443;

options {

tls;

websocket;

}

tls-options {

certificate “/path/to/fullchain.pem”;

key “/path/to/privkey.pem”;

options {

no-client-certificate;

}

}

}

`

SSL Certificate Setup (Let’s Encrypt) `bash

Install certbot if not already installed

sudo apt-get install certbot

Get certificate for your IRC domain

sudo certbot certonly –standalone -d irc.yourdomain.com

Copy certificates to UnrealIRCd

sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/irc.yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/

sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/irc.yourdomain.com/privkey.pem /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/

Set correct permissions

sudo chown unrealircd:unrealircd /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/*.pem

sudo chmod 600 /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/privkey.pem

sudo chmod 644 /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/fullchain.pem

Restart UnrealIRCd

cd /path/to/unrealircd

./unrealircd restart

`

Auto-Renewal Setup Create a renewal hook to automatically copy certificates:

`bash

Create renewal hook script

sudo nano /etc/letsencrypt/renewal-hooks/deploy/copy-to-unrealircd.sh

`

Add this content:

`bash

!/bin/bash

cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/irc.yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/

cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/irc.yourdomain.com/privkey.pem /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/

chown unrealircd:unrealircd /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/*.pem

chmod 600 /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/privkey.pem

chmod 644 /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/fullchain.pem

/path/to/unrealircd/unrealircd rehash

`

Make it executable:

`bash

sudo chmod +x /etc/letsencrypt/renewal-hooks/deploy/copy-to-unrealircd.sh

`

Usage Basic Shortcode `

[web_irc_client]

`

Shortcode with Attributes `

[web_irc_client theme=”dark” width=”100%” height=”600px”]

`

Available attributes:

theme – Override theme (light or dark)

width – Set custom width (default: 100%)

height – Set custom height (default: 70vh)

IRC Commands Users can use standard IRC commands:

/nick newname – Change nickname

/join #channel – Join a channel

/part – Leave current channel

/msg username message – Send private message

/me action – Send action message

/help – Show available commands

Troubleshooting Connection Issues Problem: “Reconnecting…” message appears

Solutions:

Verify UnrealIRCd is running: ps aux | grep unrealircd

Check port is listening: sudo netstat -tlnp | grep 7443

Verify SSL certificate is valid and not expired

Check UnrealIRCd logs: tail -f /path/to/unrealircd/logs/ircd.log

Test WebSocket connection: https://www.piesocket.com/websocket-tester

SSL Certificate Errors Problem: Certificate expired or invalid

Solution:

`bash

Check certificate expiry

sudo certbot certificates

Renew if needed

sudo certbot renew –force-renewal

Copy to UnrealIRCd and restart

sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/irc.yourdomain.com/*.pem /path/to/unrealircd/conf/tls/

./unrealircd restart

`

Plugin Not Loading Problem: IRC client doesn’t appear on page

Solutions:

Verify shortcode is correct: [web_irc_client]

Clear WordPress cache

Clear browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+R)

Check browser console for JavaScript errors (F12)

Verify WebSocket URL is configured in plugin settings

WordPress 6.9 Issues Problem: Plugin stopped working after WordPress 6.9 update

Solution: Update to version 5.2.0 which includes WordPress 6.9 compatibility fixes.

Support

GitHub: https://github.com/badwolf1972/web-irc-client

Issues: https://github.com/badwolf1972/web-irc-client/issues

WordPress Support: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/badwolf-web-irc-client/

Credits

Author: Martin Cooper (badwolf72)

Website: https://www.oo3dmodels.com

License: GPL v2 or later