Hello mIRC.

I'm a fairly new user when it comes to mIRC, or coding in general. What my question is mainly directed to is hosting a IRC bot. I want it to have a 24/7 uptime, and if possible, be able to stay in multiple chats at once.

What do I use to host? I've heard something about shells and BNC or VPN. I just need to know what the software is called, how much it costs. I'd love examples on the most common IRC hosting services.

How do I control it? When I'm in the hosting service, can I join channels on my own, or do I have to go in and change some settings?