Spark is an open-source instant messaging program (based on the XMPP protocol) that allows users to communicate in real time.

[citation needed] Later, it was open-sourced and donated to the Ignite Realtime community, along with Openfire, for further improvement and development.

[citation needed] Spark is based on the open-source Smack API library,[7] also developed by Ignite Realtime.

It has a tabbed interface for managing conversations, a quick and full history, and a search feature inside the contacts window which is designed for organizations with many units and employees.

The software’s user interface is intended to be lightweight with skins, tabbed conversations and plugin support.