# Chirpstack

> Open source software for telecommunication networks management

**Wikidata**: [Q120147501](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q120147501)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/chirpstack

## Summary

Chirpstack is open-source software designed for managing LoRaWAN telecommunication networks, providing the backend infrastructure needed to connect, manage, and monitor IoT devices using LoRa wireless technology. Originally known as LoRa Server, the project was founded on March 6, 2016, and operates under the MIT License with copyrighted free use provisions. It serves as a critical component in the LoRaWAN ecosystem, enabling organizations to deploy and scale LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) solutions for IoT applications.

## Key Facts

- **Full Name:** Chirpstack
- **Former Name:** LoRa Server
- **Type:** Open-source software for telecommunication networks management
- **License:** MIT License, copyrighted free use
- **Protocol:** LoRaWAN
- **Inception Date:** March 6, 2016
- **Official Website:** https://www.chirpstack.io/
- **Source Code Repository:** https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack
- **Language of Work:** English
- **Wikipedia Language Coverage:** French (fr)
- **Wikidata Description:** Open source software for telecommunication networks management
- **Sitelink Count:** 1
- **Current Stable Version:** 4.15.0 (released October 9, 2025)

## FAQs

**What is Chirpstack used for?**

Chirpstack provides the backend server infrastructure for LoRaWAN networks, enabling the management of LoRa gateways and IoT devices, handling data routing, device authentication, and network scheduling for large-scale IoT deployments.

**Is Chirpstack free to use?**

Yes, Chirpstack is open-source software released under the MIT License, which permits free use, modification, and redistribution of the software.

**What programming languages are used in Chirpstack?**

The source code repository indicates the project uses Go as indicated by the  qualifier in the repository metadata.

**What is the relationship between Chirpstack and LoRa Server?**

Chirpstack was formerly known as LoRa Server; the project was rebranded while maintaining its core functionality as a LoRaWAN network server solution.

**How frequently is Chirpstack updated?**

The project maintains an active release schedule with versions ranging from 4.0.0 (September 2022) to the current 4.15.0 (October 2025), with stable versions released approximately every 1-3 months.

**Does Chirpstack support multiple languages?**

The software's language of work is English, though Wikipedia coverage exists in French (fr), indicating international recognition and usage.

## Why It Matters

Chirpstack plays a foundational role in the LoRaWAN ecosystem by providing the critical bridge between LoRa gateways and IoT applications. As an open-source solution, it democratizes access to LoRaWAN network infrastructure, allowing organizations of all sizes to deploy IoT solutions without relying on proprietary vendor lock-in. The software handles essential network functions including device authentication, data encryption, adaptive data rate management, and gateway communication—functions that are essential for practical LoRaWAN deployment.

The project's significance extends beyond technical functionality. By being open-source under the MIT License, Chirpstack enables customization, security auditing, and community-driven development that proprietary solutions cannot match. This approach has made it a cornerstone of the global LoRaWAN infrastructure, supporting applications ranging from smart agriculture and industrial monitoring to smart city deployments and environmental sensing.

The extensive version history demonstrates sustained development and maintenance, with the project continuously evolving to meet the demands of the growing IoT landscape. The transition from version 4.0.0 in 2022 through to 4.15.0 in 2025 shows consistent improvement in stability, features, and protocol compliance—critical factors for mission-critical IoT deployments.

## Notable For

- **Open-Source LoRaWAN Backend:** Provides a freely available, community-maintained network server implementation for LoRaWAN protocol
- **Long-Standing Development:** Over 9 years of continuous development since inception in 2016
- **Active Release Cadence:** Maintains regular release schedule with 35+ documented version releases from 2022-2025
- **MIT Licensed:** Permits commercial use, modification, and redistribution without licensing fees
- **GitHub-Hosted Development:** Publicly accessible source code enabling community contributions and transparency
- **International Recognition:** Indexed in Wikidata with multilingual Wikipedia coverage (French)

## Body

### History and Evolution

Chirpstack was founded on March 6, 2016, under its original name "LoRa Server," establishing itself as an open-source solution for LoRaWAN network management. The project was created to address the need for a free, accessible backend solution for LoRaWAN networks, which at the time were primarily served by proprietary commercial offerings.

The project underwent a significant rebranding to "Chirpstack" while maintaining its technical foundation and continuing development. This rebranding reflected the project's maturation and its expanding role within the LoRaWAN ecosystem beyond simple server functionality.

### Technical Architecture

Chirpstack operates as a LoRaWAN network server, occupying a critical position in the LoRaWAN architecture between the gateways that receive wireless transmissions from IoT devices and the application servers that process the data. The software handles several essential functions:

- **Device Authentication:** Verifies the identity of IoT devices attempting to join the network
- **Data Routing:** Directs uplink data from devices to appropriate application servers and delivers downlink commands back to devices
- **Adaptive Data Rate (ADR):** Manages device transmission parameters to optimize network efficiency and battery life
- **Gateway Management:** Coordinates communication with multiple gateways across the network coverage area

### Version History

The project maintains an extensive and well-documented release history, particularly for the 4.x series:

**2022 Releases:**
- Version 4.0.0: September 14, 2022
- Version 4.0.2: September 28, 2022
- Version 4.0.3: November 7, 2022
- Version 4.0.4: November 15, 2022
- Version 4.0.5: November 28, 2022
- Version 4.1.0: December 6, 2022
- Version 4.1.1: December 13, 2022
- Version 4.1.2: December 16, 2022
- Version 4.1.3: December 27, 2022

**2023 Releases:**
- Version 4.2.0: January 24, 2023
- Version 4.3.0: March 8, 2023
- Version 4.3.1: April 10, 2023
- Version 4.3.2: April 26, 2023
- Version 4.4.0: June 26, 2023
- Version 4.4.1: July 5, 2023
- Version 4.4.2: July 14, 2023
- Version 4.4.3: July 24, 2023
- Version 4.5.0: September 12, 2023 (first designated stable version)
- Version 4.5.1: October 5, 2023
- Version 4.6.0: December 7, 2023

**2024 Releases:**
- Version 4.7.0: March 13, 2024
- Version 4.8.1: May 14, 2024
- Version 4.9.0: August 15, 2024
- Version 4.10.1: November 4, 2024
- Version 4.10.2: December 10, 2024

**2025 Releases:**
- Version 4.11.0: January 16, 2025
- Version 4.11.1: February 12, 2025
- Version 4.12.0: April 22, 2025
- Version 4.12.1: May 2, 2025
- Version 4.13.0: June 16, 2025
- Version 4.14.0: August 7, 2025
- Version 4.14.1: August 26, 2025
- Version 4.15.0: October 9, 2025 (current preferred stable version)

### Licensing and Distribution

Chirpstack is distributed under the MIT License, a permissive open-source license that allows users to freely use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies of the software. The license includes "copyrighted free use" provisions, meaning while the software remains copyrighted, users are granted broad rights to use it without paying licensing fees.

### Community and Ecosystem

The project maintains an active presence on GitHub at https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack, where the source code is publicly accessible for review, contribution, and fork. The official website at https://www.chirpstack.io/ serves as the primary documentation and community hub for users and developers.

The software's classification as open-source software with 71 sitelink counts in its related classification data indicates significant recognition within the broader software classification ecosystem. The project has achieved indexed status in Wikidata, with a dedicated Wikipedia article in French, demonstrating international visibility within the IoT and telecommunications communities.

### Development Stack

The source code repository metadata indicates the project is developed using Go, a programming language well-suited for network services and distributed systems. The repository is associated with Wikidata item , representing the Chirpstack project itself, enabling structured linking to related entities and properties.

### Classification and Metadata

Chirpstack is formally classified as an instance of open-source software, with the protocol it supports being LoRaWAN—a low-power, wide-area networking protocol designed for wireless battery-operated devices in IoT applications. The project is documented in Wikidata with the description "Open source software for telecommunication networks management," accurately capturing its purpose within the telecommunications infrastructure domain.

## References

1. [Release 4.0.0. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.0.0)
2. [Release 4.0.2. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.0.2)
3. [Release 4.0.3. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.0.3)
4. [Release 4.0.4. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.0.4)
5. [Release 4.0.5. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.0.5)
6. [Release 4.1.0. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.1.0)
7. [Release 4.1.1. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.1.1)
8. [Release 4.1.2. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.1.2)
9. [Release 4.1.3. 2022](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.1.3)
10. [Release 4.2.0. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.2.0)
11. [Release 4.3.0. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.3.0)
12. [Release 4.3.1. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.3.1)
13. [Release 4.3.2. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.3.2)
14. [Release 4.4.0. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.4.0)
15. [Release 4.4.1. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.4.1)
16. [Release 4.4.2. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.4.2)
17. [Release 4.4.3. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.4.3)
18. [Release 4.5.0. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.5.0)
19. [Release 4.5.1. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.5.1)
20. [Release 4.6.0. 2023](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.6.0)
21. [Release 4.7.0. 2024](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.7.0)
22. [Release 4.8.1. 2024](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.8.1)
23. [Release 4.9.0. 2024](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.9.0)
24. [Release 4.10.1. 2024](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.10.1)
25. [Release 4.10.2. 2024](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.10.2)
26. [Release 4.11.0. 2025](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.11.0)
27. [Release 4.11.1. 2025](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.11.1)
28. [Release 4.12.0. 2025](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.12.0)
29. [Release 4.12.1. 2025](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.12.1)
30. [Release 4.13.0. 2025](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.13.0)
31. [Release 4.14.0. 2025](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.14.0)
32. [Release 4.14.1. 2025](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.14.1)
33. [Release 4.15.0. 2025](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.15.0)
34. [Release 4.16.0. 2026](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.16.0)
35. [Release 4.16.1. 2026](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.16.1)
36. [Release 4.16.2. 2026](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.16.2)
37. [Release 4.17.0. 2026](https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack/releases/tag/v4.17.0)