Editing BitlBee (section)

{{Short description|Open-source cross-platform IRC gateway}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = BitlBee
| logo                   = Bitlbee logo.png
| screenshot             = Bitlbee irssi sawfish.png
| caption                = Screenshot of [[Irssi]] [[IRC]] client connected to a BitlBee server to communicate via [[Windows Live Messenger|Windows Live]]
| developer              = BitlBee team, with Wilmer van der Gaast as Lead Developer
| released               = {{Start date and age|2002|8|9|df=yes}}
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q878823|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
| latest release date    = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q878823|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}
| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q878823|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
| latest preview date    = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q878823|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}
| programming language   = [[C (programming language)|C]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Bitlbee Open Source Project on Open Hub - Language page|url=https://www.openhub.net/p/bitlbee/analyses/latest/languages_summary|website=Open Hub|access-date=30 September 2014}}</ref>
| genre                  = [[Instant messaging]]
| license                = [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/bitlbee/bitlbee/blob/master/doc/bitlbee.8|title=bitlbee.8|website=[[GitHub]] }}</ref>
| website                = {{URL|bitlbee.org}}
}}

'''BitlBee''' is a [[cross-platform]] [[IRC]] [[instant messaging]] [[Gateway (telecommunications)|gateway]], licensed under the terms of the [[GNU General Public License]].

BitlBee communicates with the user via the IRC [[Protocol (computing)|protocol]], providing a gateway to popular chat networks such as [[AOL Instant Messenger|AIM]] and [[ICQ]] (via [[OSCAR protocol|OSCAR]]), [[Microsoft Messenger service]] (via [[Microsoft Notification Protocol|MSNP]]), [[Yahoo! Messenger|Yahoo!]] (via [[Yahoo! Messenger Protocol|YMSG]]) and [[Facebook Messenger]] (via [[MQTT]] with a plugin<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wiki.bitlbee.org/HowtoFacebookMQTT|title=HowtoFacebookMQTT - BitlBee Wiki|website=wiki.bitlbee.org|access-date=2017-06-17}}</ref>) and the microblogging networks [[Twitter]],<ref name="twitter_bitlbee">{{cite web |url=http://wiki.bitlbee.org/HowtoTwitter |title=How to twitter in BitlBee |publisher=BitlBee.org |access-date=2010-08-10}}</ref> [[Identi.ca]], and [[GNU Social]].  Since version 3.0, BitlBee can be built to use the [[libpurple]] library, which supports file transfers on many IM networks, and supports GaduGadu, QQ and other less well-known protocols.<ref>[http://wiki.bitlbee.org/HowtoPurple "Using BitlBee with the libpurple IM backend"]. BitlBee.org.</ref> [[Off-the-record messaging]] is supported by Bitlbee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wiki.bitlbee.org/bitlbee-otr |title=Get OTR to work with bitlbee}}</ref> It supports the display of remote user status using the IRC voice attribute: ''online'' users are shown with voice, ''away'' users are shown without. Many IRC commands such as /WHO and /QUERY are available, though the capabilities of the remote IM protocols limit which IRC commands will work.

It can be installed and operated on a user's personal computer, a local server,<ref name=Mutton/> or accessed on public gateway servers.<ref>[http://www.bitlbee.org/main.php/servers.html "Public BitlBee servers"]. BitlBee.org.</ref> A user registers with the BitlBee server for future credentials storage.  Service protocols are added along with their credentials; following this, the software will display the user's buddy list as normal IRC users in a channel.<ref name=Mutton/> Conversations can be public, or use the private message facility of IRC.<ref name=PL>{{cite web
 |title=Bitlbee Quickstart Guide (Online Edition) & Notes
 |first= Elizabeth |last=Krumbach
 |publisher=PrincessLeia.com
 |url=http://princessleia.com/bitlbee.php
}}</ref><!-- Assume reliable: linked directly from http://bitlbee.org/main.php/extdoc.html -->

BitlBee runs on [[Linux]], [[Unix]], [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[AmigaOS]]<ref name=Mutton>{{cite book
 | last = Mutton | first = Paul
 | title = IRC hacks
 | publisher = [[O'Reilly Media]]
 | year = 2004
 | pages = 374–383
 | isbn = 0-596-00687-X
 | chapter=Hack#99: Use MSN/ICQ/Jabber from IRC
 | url = http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596006877
}}</ref> and [[macOS]].