Bitlbee
Bitlbee is a "console-based IRC to IM chatting gateway". It allows the user to interact with popular chat networks XMPP/Jabber, Yahoo! Messenger and ICQ, the Twitter microblogging network (plus all other Twitter API compatible services like identi.ca and status.net), and social networking chat networks like Facebook and StudiVZ within their IRC client.
The users' buddies appear as normal IRC users in a channel and conversations use the private message facility of IRC.
Installation
Install the bitlbeeAUR package.
Configuration
Various settings can be set using the /etc/bitlbee/bitlbee.conf
configuration file.
Daemon
It is recommended to run the Bitlbee daemon without root permission. Uncomment the following line so Bitlbee can run as the "bitlbee" user, which was created when the package was installed.
User = bitlbee
For daemon mode uncomment the following lines.
DaemonInterface = 0.0.0.0 DaemonPort = 6667
To only allow connections from localhost set the listen interface (DaemonInterface
) to loopback.
DaemonInterface = 127.0.0.1
Ensure that the configuration directory is writeable with the user you configured:
# chown -R bitlbee:bitlbee /var/lib/bitlbee
Then start the bitlbee
daemon. You can also enable the bitlbee
daemon to start on boot.
Note that just starting the server does not log you into any of your chat accounts.
Basic usage (Jabber/XMPP)
Once Bitlbee is running connect to localhost
using an IRC client. The control channel, &bitlbee
, should already show you some basic information (if not, join it now). You can always type help
to get help.
While in the control channel, enter
help quickstart
and follow the instructions
Your friend might be requesting authorization to add you back, so just reply according to the control channel prompts.
To initiate a chat, simply open a new IRC private window:
/msg friend hello!
OTR
For OTR support you must have libotr installed. Upon account registration, bitlbee will generate your OTR keys, and it will use them transparently whenever you are negotiating with an OTR-capable contact.
External services
Telegram
To make Telegram work with bitlbee, you need a version compiled with libpurple support – bitlbee-libpurpleAUR for example, although there are patched or development versions also available.
Next, install telegram-tdlib-purple-gitAUR and restart bitlbee.service
.
In the control channel, &bitlbee
, type the following commands:
11:45:03 <@user> account add telegram <phone_number_with_region_prefix> <anything> 11:45:03 <@root> Account successfully added 11:45:06 <@user> account telegram on
After connecting a separate chat window will open, asking for the SMS code – enter it and Telegram will work with your setup.
In the control channel, &bitlbee
, type the following commands:
11:45:03 <@user> account add twitter <handle> 11:45:03 <@root> Account successfully added 11:45:06 <@user> account on 11:45:06 <@root> Trying to get all accounts connected... 11:45:06 <@root> twitter - Logging in: Requesting OAuth request token
In a private channel, twitter_handle
, you will receive:
11:45:07 <twitter_handle> To finish OAuth authentication, please visit http://api.twitter.com/oauth/authorize?oauth_token=xxxxxxxxx and respond with the resulting PIN code.
Click the link and authorize the BitlBee app on Twitter. You should now see:
11:59:54 <@root> twitter - Logging in: Connecting to Twitter 11:59:55 <@root> twitter - Logging in: Logged in
Discord
Install the package bitlbee-discord-gitAUR.
In the control channel, &bitlbee
, type the following commands:
<user> account add discord <email> <password> <root> Account successfully added with tag discord <user> account discord on <root> discord - Logging in: Logged in
See also
- Screen Irssi Bitlbee
- Bitlbee Wiki
- Introduction to Bitlbee by Bradley Marshall
- Quickstart Guide by Elizabeth Krumbach
- HOWTO: Connect to Twitter on the BitlBee wiki
- HOWTO: Connect to Facebook on the Bitlbee Wiki