PyLink IRC Services

PyLink is LOOKING FOR NEW MAINTAINERS: Please see my latest dev update for more context.

PyLink is an extensible, plugin-based IRC services framework written in Python. It aims to be:

1. a transparent server-side relayer between IRC networks.

2. a versatile framework for developing IRC services.

PyLink is licensed under the Mozilla Public License, version 2.0 (LICENSE.MPL2). The corresponding documentation is licensed under the Creative Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. (LICENSE.CC-BY-SA-4.0)

Getting help

First, MAKE SURE you’ve read the FAQ!

When upgrading between major versions, remember to read the release notes for any breaking changes!

Please report any bugs you find to the issue tracker. Pull requests are open if you’d like to contribute, though new stuff generally goes to the devel branch.

There is also an IRC channel available: #pylink @ irc.libera.chat

Installation

Pre-requisites

• CPython 3.5 or above (other interpreters are untested and unsupported)
• A Unix-like operating system: PyLink is actively developed on Linux only, so we cannot guarantee that things will work properly on other systems.

If you are a developer and want to help make PyLink more portable, patches are welcome.

Installing from source

1. First, make sure the following dependencies are met:

   • Setuptools (pip3 install setuptools)
   • PyYAML (pip3 install pyyaml)
   • cachetools (pip3 install cachetools)
   • For hashed password support: Passlib >= 1.7.0 (pip3 install passlib)
   • For Unicode support in Relay: unidecode (pip3 install Unidecode)
   • For extended PID file tracking (i.e. removing stale PID files after a crash): psutil (pip3 install psutil)

2. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/jlu5/PyLink && cd PyLink

3. Pick your branch.

   • By default you’ll be on the master branch, which contains the latest stable code. This branch is recommended for production networks that don’t require new features or intensive bug fixes as they are developed.
   • The devel branch is where active development goes, and it can be accessed by running git checkout devel in your Git tree.

4. Install PyLink using python3 setup.py install (global install) or python3 setup.py install --user (local install)

   • Note: --user is a literal string; do not replace it with your username.
   • Whenever you switch branches or update PyLink’s sources via git pull, you will need to re-run this command for changes to apply!

Installing via Docker

As of PyLink 3.0 there is a Docker image available on Docker Hub: jlu5/pylink

It supports the following tags:

• Rolling tags: latest (latest stable/RC release), latest-beta (latest beta snapshot)
• Pinned to a major branch: e.g. 3 (latest 3.x stable release), 3-beta (latest 3.x beta snapshot)
• Pinned to a specific version: e.g. 3.0.0

To use this image you should mount your configuration/DB folder into /pylink. Make sure this directory is writable by UID 10000.

$ docker run -v $HOME/pylink:/pylink jlu5/pylink

Installing via PyPI (stable branch only)

1. Make sure you’re running the right pip command: on most distros, pip for Python 3 uses the command pip3.

2. Run pip3 install pylinkirc to download and install PyLink. pip will automatically resolve dependencies.

3. Download or copy https://github.com/jlu5/PyLink/blob/master/example-conf.yml for an example configuration.

Configuration

1. Rename example-conf.yml to pylink.yml (or a similarly named .yml file) and configure your instance there.

2. Run pylink from the command line. PyLink will load its configuration from pylink.yml by default, but you can override this by running pylink with a config argument (e.g. pylink mynet.yml).

Supported IRCds

Primary support

These IRCds (in alphabetical order) are frequently tested and well supported. If any issues occur, please file a bug on the issue tracker.

• InspIRCd (2.0 - 3.x) - module inspircd
  • Set the target_version option to insp3 to target InspIRCd 3.x, or insp20 to target InspIRCd 2.0 (currently the default).
  • For vHost setting to work, m_chghost.so must be loaded. For ident and realname changing support, m_chgident.so and m_chgname.so must be loaded respectively.
  • Supported channel, user, and prefix modes are negotiated on connect, but hotloading modules that change these is not supported. After changing module configuration, it is recommended to SQUIT PyLink to force a protocol renegotiation.
• Nefarious IRCu (2.0.0+) - module p10
  • Note: Both account cloaks (user and oper) and hashed IP cloaks are optionally supported (HOST_HIDING_STYLE settings 0 to 3). Make sure you configure PyLink to match your IRCd settings.
• UnrealIRCd (4.2.x - 5.0.x) - module unreal
  • Supported channel, user, and prefix modes are negotiated on connect, but hotloading modules that change these is not supported. After changing module configuration, it is recommended to SQUIT PyLink to force a protocol renegotiation.

Extended support

Support for these IRCds exist, but are not tested as frequently and thoroughly. Bugs should be filed if there are any issues, though they may not always be fixed in a timely fashion.

• charybdis (3.5+) - module ts6
  • For KLINE support to work, a shared{} block should be added for PyLink on all servers.
• ChatIRCd (1.2.x / git master) - module ts6
  • For KLINE support to work, a shared{} block should be added for PyLink on all servers.
• juno-ircd (13.x / ava) - module ts6 (see configuration example)
• ngIRCd (24+) - module ngircd
  • For GLINEs to propagate, the AllowRemoteOper option must be enabled in ngIRCd.
  • + (modeless) channels are not supported, and should be disabled for PyLink to function correctly.
  • For use with Relay, the CloakHostModeX setting will work fine but CloakHost and CloakUserToNick are not supported.

Legacy extended support

Support for these IRCds was added at some point but is no longer actively maintained, either due to inactive upstream development or a perceived lack of interest. We recommend migrating to an IRCd in the above two sections.

• beware-ircd (1.6.3) - module p10
  • Because bircd disallows BURST after ENDBURST for regular servers, U-lines are required for all PyLink servers. Fortunately, wildcards are supported in U-lines, so you can add something along the lines of U:<your pylink server>: and U:*.relay: (adjust accordingly for your relay server suffix).
  • Use ircd: snircd as the target IRCd.
  • Halfops, sethost (+h), and account-based cloaking (VHostStyle=1) are supported. Crypted IPs and static hosts (VHostStyle 2 and 3) are NOT.
• Elemental-IRCd (6.6.x / git master) - module ts6
  • For KLINE support to work, a shared{} block should be added for PyLink on all servers.
• IRCd-Hybrid (8.2.x / svn trunk) - module hybrid
  • For host changing support and optimal functionality, a service{} block / U-line should be added for PyLink on every IRCd across your network.
  • For KLINE support to work, a shared{} block should also be added for PyLink on all servers.
• ircd-ratbox (3.x) - module ts6
  • Host changing is not supported.
  • On ircd-ratbox, all known IPs of users will be shown in /whois, even if the client is e.g. a cloaked relay client. If you’re paranoid about this, turn off Relay IP forwarding on the ratbox network(s).
  • For KLINE support to work, a shared{} block should be added for PyLink on all servers.
• IRCu (u2.10.12.16+) - module p10
  • Host changing (changehost, relay) is not supported.
• snircd (1.3.x+) - module p10
  • Outbound host changing (i.e. for the changehost plugin) is not supported.

Clientbot

PyLink supports connecting to IRCds as a relay bot and forwarding users back as virtual clients, similar to Janus’ Clientbot. This can be useful if the IRCd a network used isn’t supported, or if you want to relay certain channels without fully linking with a network.

For Relay to work properly with Clientbot, be sure to load the relay_clientbot plugin in conjunction with relay.

Note: Clientbot links can only be used as a leaf for Relay links - they CANNOT be used to host channels! This means that Relay does not support having all your networks be Clientbot - in those cases you are better off using a classic relayer bot, like RelayNext for Limnoria.