Show HN: I put an AI agent on a $7/month VPS with IRC as its transport layer

5 Steps

1. 1

   Provision a Low-Cost VPS and Connect: Acquire a basic VPS (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 1 CPU, 1GB RAM) from providers like Vultr or DigitalOcean. Once provisioned, use SSH to connect to your server.

2. 2

   Install Python and IRC Library: Update your system packages, then install Python 3, pip, and the `irc` Python library required for building the bot.

3. 3

   Create the IRC AI Agent Script: Using a text editor like `nano`, create a new Python file (e.g., `irc_ai_agent.py`) and paste the provided 'Copy-Paste Starter' code into it. This script contains both the simple AI logic and the IRC bot framework.

4. 4

   Configure and Run Your Agent: Edit the `SERVER`, `CHANNEL`, and `NICKNAME` variables in the `irc_ai_agent.py` script to match your desired IRC network, channel, and bot name. Then, execute the script to start your AI agent.

5. 5

   Ensure Persistent Operation (Optional): To keep your AI agent running even after you disconnect from SSH, use a terminal multiplexer like `screen` or `tmux`. Start a new session, run your bot, then detach from the session.