IRC is a free internet relay chat program, and registering your ID or nickname is not necessary. However, if you want that no one else should use the same nickname as yours then registration is the only option. We will use HexChat to demonstrate how to register IRC nicknames on the system.
Here at LinuxAPT, we shall look into how to register an IRC nickname on a Linux Mint system.
1. Start HexChat Application
To Install HexChat on Debian, visit https://linuxapt.com/blog/771-install-hexchat-on-debian
If HexChat is already installed on your system, you can run it to display its dashboard.
2. Register Nickname
Now, Type the following command just like you will do to send a message in the message bar at the bottom of the HexChat. Change Your "name" to your chosen nickname.
/name YourNick
3. Register Password
Now choose a password and use your email to register your nickname as displayed below:
/msg NickServ register YourPassword youremail@example.com
Once you hit enter, your nickname will be registered. You won't get any email, but a message might pop up from the NickServ server.
4. Register secondary nickname
Now we will bind an extra nickname similar to the already registered one.
/name YourNick2
/msg NickServ identify YourNick Your password
/msg NickServ GROUP
Enter the above commands one by one. Simply replace YourNick2 with your companion nick. In our case, it is linuxapt_.
This article covers how to register and secure an IRC nickname permanently on a Linux Mint system. In fact, IRC nicknames do not need registration. If a user wants a persistent nickname to communicate in a Linux environment, then it is always better to register the username.
