Main Page
Connection sequence
General commands (concise version)
A typical IRC session log
A typical IRC session log (explaining each line)
Original Text File

Note:
All the commands can be tested using telnet
(available on most major operating systems)

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A typical IRC connection session log

(Showing what each command is doing):

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Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- **Connect**

Setting User Nickname
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- NICK CoolNickname

Setting User Information
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- USER JohnS "MyHost.com" "127.0.0.1" :John Smith

Server issues a command to see if its actually a live connection
Server:6667-to-Userhost:2167- PING :2eea0548

User replies with the correct response
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- PONG :2eea0548

User sets themself mode +i
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- MODE CoolNickname +i

User checks to see if their Friend is in IRC
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- ISON myPal

Server sends a periodic Ping to the user
Server:6667-to-Userhost:2167- PING :127.0.0.1

User replies to periodic Ping
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- PONG :127.0.0.1

User joins their channel
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- JOIN #MyChannel

User checks channel modes
(most irc clients do this to correctly display the current channel modes)
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- MODE #MyChannel

User changes the channel modes to +nt
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- MODE #MyChannel +nt

Users says "hello" in their channel
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- PRIVMSG #MyChannel :Hello?

User ctcp pings them self
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- PRIVMSG CoolNickname :PING 933417978

Server forwards the ping to the destination
Server:6667-to-Userhost:2167- :CoolNickname!JohnS@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG CoolNickname :PING 933417978

User replies to ping
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- NOTICE CoolNickname :PING 933417978

User gets the ping reply, and displays the time it took
Server:6667-to-Userhost:2167- :CoolNickname!JohnS@127.0.0.1 NOTICE CoolNickname :PING 933417978

User plays a ctcp sound, using the optional description
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- PRIVMSG #MyChannel :SOUND yawn.wav [yawns]

User does an action, typically using a /me or /action or /describe
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- PRIVMSG #MyChannel :ACTION is bored

User de-ops themself
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- MODE #MyChannel :-o CoolNickname

User leaves the channel
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- PART #MyChannel :Goodbye!

User Quits from irc
Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- QUIT :I'm quiting!

Userhost:2167-to-Server:6667- **Closed by client**