Amanda vs nxs-backup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Amanda | nxs-backup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 8 · At risk | 74 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 272 | ★ 276 |
| First released | 1991 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Veeam, CommVault | Veeam |
What are Amanda and nxs-backup?
Amanda
Amanda is a mature backup solution that allows an administrator to set up a single backup server to back up multiple hosts to tape, disk, or cloud storage. It is widely used in enterprise environments.
- Centralized network backups
- Tape, disk, and cloud targets
- Mature enterprise tooling
nxs-backup
Nxs-backup is an open-source backup solution that simplifies the backup of files and databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. It supports incremental backups and remote storage.
- File and database backups
- Incremental support
- Remote storage targets
Amanda vs nxs-backup: key differences
Amanda is written in C, while nxs-backup is built with Go. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Amanda versus GPL-3.0 for nxs-backup. Nxs-backup is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Amanda. Amanda is the more established project (first released 1991), while nxs-backup arrived in 2022. Nxs-backup lists first-class Docker deployment; Amanda does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Amanda if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in C
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose nxs-backup if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Amanda or nxs-backup better?
nxs-backup is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Amanda if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Amanda and nxs-backup free and open-source?
Yes. Amanda is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and nxs-backup under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Amanda and nxs-backup with Docker?
Amanda: check the project docs for container support. nxs-backup: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Amanda or nxs-backup?
nxs-backup has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Amanda. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.