ArchivesSpace vs Backrest
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
ArchivesSpace
Archives information management application for managing and providing
VS
Backrest
Web UI and orchestrator for Restic backups
| Feature | ArchivesSpace | Backrest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | ECL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 435 | ★ 7,071 |
| First released | 2026 | 2024 |
| Replaces | — | Backblaze |
Why pick each one
Choose ArchivesSpace if…
- Released under the ECL-2.0 license
- Written in Ruby
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ArchivesSpace or Backrest better?
Backrest is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ArchivesSpace if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are ArchivesSpace and Backrest free and open-source?
Yes. ArchivesSpace is licensed under ECL-2.0 and Backrest under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ArchivesSpace and Backrest with Docker?
ArchivesSpace: check the project docs for container support. Backrest: yes.