Using the Matrix XMPP Bridge as an End User

If your homeserver has the Matrix IRCXMPP Bridge configured it will pass messages to and from IRC.XMPP. Depending on your homeservers' IRC bridge configuration youYou will interact with IRCXMPP throughby; various means; for instance your homeserver may have pre-configuredjoining Matrix Rooms specifically bridged to IRCexisting Channels;XMPP yourooms; mayspeaking with XMPP users who have thejoined abilitypublic toMatrix join / create bridged rooms dynamically;rooms; or you may use private messaging to speak directly with a specific user in IRC.XMPP.

Getting Started

JoiningMessaging yourin first IRC Channel via a bridgedpublic Matrix RoomRooms

To start, the most basic usage of the IRCXMPP bridge would be to join ana IRCPublic ChannelMatrix room that XMPP users also join to communicatecommunicate. withYou bothor Matrix and IRC users together. Youryour homeserver administrators will have preconfiguredcreated bridginga Public room, which XMPP users can search for using a configured endpoint, by default matrix instead of conference.

That's it, by messaging in this room, anyone who is joined from specificXMPP IRC Channels to Matrix Rooms, they shouldwill be able to advisesee whichand roomsrespond to your messages. As far as how you shouldappear initiallyin join, for instance, a #welcome Channel / Room.

When you join a bridged room and send a message for the first time,XMPP, you'll be sentdisplayed in room member lists using your Matrix display name, with a full username formatted based on how your homeserver administrators configured. Usually in a format like DISPLAYNAME_HOMESERVER@EXTERNALCOMPONENT.XMPPSERVER, so an invitationexample touser awould DMlook like:

alice_example.com@matrix.xmpp.example.com

In Matrix, XMPP users will appear with your homeservers' IRC Bridge Bot. The Matrix User IDIDs, offollowing thea bridgeformat bot is configurable by your homeservers administrator, but the DM room should be calledlike IRC@PREFIX_USERNAME=40XMPPSERVER:HOMESERVER, Bridgeso statusan prependedexample withuser thewould IRClook Network name that the room was bridged to.like:

@xmpp_alice=40xmpp.example.com:example.com

ThisHowever roomit's unlikely you will allowever youneed to keepdirectly checktype on your connection to the IRC network, the initial message from the bridge bot should confirm you connected successfully and the nick name in IRC you have connected as. This is customisable by your homeserver admin, in this guides' example environment,these, you can seeuse your native clients' functions to interact with users, just like any other Matrix users appearuser in IRCElement, asor theirXMPP Displayuser Namein followedyour byXMPP [m].client.

Messaging in IRCan Channels

XMPP

Onceroom you have joinedvia a bridged Matrix Room you're

The already ablealternative to speaking with XMPP users in a public Matrix room they join, is to join an existing XMPP room. To do this all you need to know is the XMPP rooms name and how your homeservers have configured the room name format in Matrix. By default, XMPP rooms in Matrix are translated following a format like #PREFIX_XMPPROOMNAME_CONFERENCE.XMPPSERVER:HOMESERVER, so an example room alias would look like:

#_xmpp_exampleroom_conference.xmpp.example.com:example.com

So you can either enter this in the room search prompt, or simply send /join #_xmpp_exampleroom_conference.xmpp.example.com:example.com in any room (nothing is sent to the room you send this to), for the Element Client to automatically join you to the room.

Once joined, exactly as with public Matrix rooms, you can communicate with anyanyone IRCelse users connected toin the IRCroom Channeljust bridgedas withyou thenormally room. You can send messages, emoji 👋, even upload attachments or send voice messages. So what does an IRC user see?

While Matrix messages can be formattedwould in a number of ways, supporting Markdown and HTML, IRC messaging is mostly simple text. You'll find sending simple text messages and emoji works best whereas Markdown and HTML, whilst it will be sent, may not be correctly rendered in an IRC client.

When sending attachments, voice messages, and multi-line messages (if restricted by your homeserver) IRC users will instead see a message that you uploaded a file, a voice message or a truncated version of your multi-lined messages each with a link to download / listen / view.

From the below examples, of the Element Matrix and mIRC IRC clients respectively, you can see differences in how messages are rendered, that reactions are not supported in IRC etc.

Matrix.

Private Messaging IRCXMPP Users

So long as private messaging is enabled by your administrator you can do so just like with any other Matrix user. IRCXMPP users appear in Matrix as Matrix users, you can view the list of people in a room by clicking the i icon in the top-right of the client, then selecting People. Here you can see all users within the room, including those users created to represent IRCXMPP users. The format for their Matrix User IDs is configured by your homeserver administrator, butsee isabove usuallyfor prefixed with irc_ followed by their IRC nick name.defaults.

Just like with any other Matrix user; you can click on a person from this pane; click on their profile picture next to any message they've sent within the room; or simply search for them to initiate the DM. Compose your initial message and send to start a Direct Message with the IRCXMPP user. IRCA XMPP user can likewise start a private message with you, using your IRCXMPP nicknameusername - if they do, you will be invited to a DM just like any other Direct Message.

Going Further

Changing your IRC Nickname

If permitted, you may wish to change the nick name used when you connect to the IRC Network. You can do this by speaking with the bridge bot within the IRC Bridge status room you were invited too. Don't worry if you left the room, simply invite the bridge bot into a new DM and it'll work just the same.

You can do this by sending !nick to the bot, you'll notice the bot will respond advising on how to format the command to change your nick name and supply the nick name your are currently using on each connect IRC Network.

Joining an as-yet unbridged IRC Channel

If permitted, you may want to join a conversation within an IRC Channel, not yet bridged to any specific Matrix room. Just like with changing your nick name, you can do this by speaking with the bridge bot within the IRC Bridge status room you were invited too.

Send the !join [irc.example.net] #channel [key] command, making sure to specify the IRC Network if there are multiple, then the IRC Channel name. Make sure to include the key if needed. A complete command to join the #locked IRC Channel requiring a key of password would look like, !join irc.example.com #locked password.

Assuming you have permission to use the !join command, and that the channel specified is not excluded, you will recieve an invite to the newly created room for the specified IRC Channel.

Using the bridge bot

To delve deeper into using the bridge bot and it's commands, or for a more in-depth doc on the IRC Bridge, you can check out Using the Matrix IRC Bridge.