A bouncer, short for BNC, is a software that connects to an IRC Network and remains connected even just like a regular IRC client.
Typically, bouncer software runs on servers and stays online continuously. This ensures that your bouncer remains connected to the IRC server.
The bouncer also acts as a proxy between you and the IRC network.
The bouncer keeps your IP address hidden from the IRC Network, as the bouncer is directly connected to the IRC Network, while you are directly connected to the bouncer.
Some key features of a bouncer include offline channel messages , offline private messages, away nick management, automatic identifcation, and more.