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Ergo vs Rspamd

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Ergo and Rspamd — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Ergo vs Rspamd: at a glance

FeatureErgoRspamd
SectorCommsComms
Velocity score2.55.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesirc, ircv3, self-hosted, release-candidatesspam filtering, email authentication, input hardening, attachment extraction
Last editorial update3mo ago3h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Ergo?

Ergo keeps tracking IRCv3 upstream while quietly opening its history layer to real databases.

Ergo ships roughly two releases a year, each announced as a release candidate about a week ahead of the final. The content is consistent: whatever IRCv3 specifications have firmed up since the last cycle, plus bug fixes and config-format adjustments. The one structural change in this window was pluggable history storage, which took Ergo off its embedded database as the only option.

Read the full Ergo trajectory →

What is Rspamd?

Rspamd 4.3 fixes SPF evaluation order and rejects weak DKIM keys, with results that change.

Rspamd 4.3.0 on November 13 is a correctness release with a long incompatible-changes list. SPF records are now evaluated in term order, closing a case where an explicit -ip4 deny could be overridden by a broader allow. DKIM rejects RSA keys under 1024 bits and signatures with duplicate tags, DMARC no longer drops a policy over an unknown tag, URL mismatches are scored apart from phishing, and PDF text extraction and archive unpacking change their output. Critical fixes cover a header line that could abort a worker from one unauthenticated HTTP request.

Read the full Rspamd trajectory →

Ergo vs Rspamd: editorial side-by-side

E
Ergo
COMMS
2.5

Ergo keeps tracking IRCv3 upstream while quietly opening its history layer to real databases.

◆ Current state

Ergo ships roughly two releases a year, each announced as a release candidate about a week ahead of the final. The content is consistent: whatever IRCv3 specifications have firmed up since the last cycle, plus bug fixes and config-format adjustments. The one structural change in this window was pluggable history storage, which took Ergo off its embedded database as the only option.

◆ Where it's heading

This is a project with a stable release ritual and a narrow remit: be a modern IRC server that implements the spec correctly and runs as a single binary. Feature work arrives as specification support rather than product invention. The exception is the operational surface — history backends and the HTTP API — where Ergo has been steadily making itself easier to run alongside existing infrastructure instead of as a self-contained island.

◆ Prediction

The v2.19.0 final should follow its release candidate within a week or two on the established pattern; the config-format break flagged in that RC is the main thing operators will need to handle on upgrade.

R
Rspamd
COMMS
5.0

Rspamd 4.3 fixes SPF evaluation order and rejects weak DKIM keys, with results that change.

◆ Current state

Rspamd 4.3.0 on November 13 is a correctness release with a long incompatible-changes list. SPF records are now evaluated in term order, closing a case where an explicit -ip4 deny could be overridden by a broader allow. DKIM rejects RSA keys under 1024 bits and signatures with duplicate tags, DMARC no longer drops a policy over an unknown tag, URL mismatches are scored apart from phishing, and PDF text extraction and archive unpacking change their output. Critical fixes cover a header line that could abort a worker from one unauthenticated HTTP request.

◆ Where it's heading

Since 4.1, every release has hardened parsers and closed memory-safety and trust gaps; 4.3 applies the same pass to the authentication standards themselves (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, ARC) and to content extraction. Operators should expect scores and fuzzy hashes to shift after upgrading, because the project now favours spec-correct results over backward-compatible ones.

◆ Prediction

A 4.3.x point release fixing regressions from these behaviour changes is the likely next step, as 4.2.1 followed 4.2.0 within two weeks.

Alternatives to Ergo and Rspamd

Other Comms products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Ergo or Rspamd.

See all Ergo alternatives → · See all Rspamd alternatives →

Recent activity from Ergo and Rspamd

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 21h agoRspamd4.3.0: SPF order fix, stricter DKIM, new truncation symbols
  2. 24d agoRspamd4.2.3: ARC trust fix, merged RBL queries, browser-style HTML parsing
  3. 1mo agoRspamd4.2.2: crypto wallet detection and changed MIME digests
  4. 1mo agoRspamd4.2.1: critical HTTP and memory-safety fixes
  5. 1mo agoRspamd4.2.0: public suffix lookup and attachment content extraction
  6. 3mo agoRspamdCloses an arbitrary file read reachable by any TCP client
  7. 4mo agoErgov2.19.0-rc1: IRCv3 updates and a breaking config change
  8. 8mo agoErgov2.18.0-rc1 adds PostgreSQL and SQLite history backends ⚡
  9. 11mo agoErgov2.17.0-rc1 implements the IRCv3 metadata specification
  10. 1y agoErgov2.16.0-rc1: bug fixes and minor updates

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Ergo and Rspamd?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Rspamd is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Ergo better than Rspamd?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Rspamd is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Comms products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Ergo?

Top Ergo alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Ergo alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ergo-irc for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Rspamd?

Top Rspamd alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Rspamd alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rspamd for the full list with editorial commentary on each.