Back In Time vs rdiff-backup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Back In Time | rdiff-backup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 65 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,669 | ★ 1,267 |
| First released | 2008 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are Back In Time and rdiff-backup?
Back In Time
Back In Time is a simple backup tool for Linux inspired by Time Machine and rsnapshot. It takes snapshots of specified folders using rsync and hard links to save disk space.
- Time Machine-style snapshots
- Hard-link deduplication
- GUI and command-line modes
rdiff-backup
rdiff-backup backs up one directory to another, keeping the latest copy plus reverse diffs for older versions. It preserves permissions, ownership, and special files while working over SSH.
- Reverse-incremental storage
- Preserves file metadata
- Works over SSH
Back In Time vs rdiff-backup: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Rdiff-backup is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Back In Time. Rdiff-backup is the more established project (first released 2001), while Back In Time arrived in 2008. Back In Time has the considerably larger community, at 2,669 GitHub stars versus 1,267.
Why pick each one
Choose Back In Time if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose rdiff-backup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Back In Time or rdiff-backup better?
Back In Time is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider rdiff-backup if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Back In Time and rdiff-backup free and open-source?
Yes. Back In Time is licensed under GPL-2.0 and rdiff-backup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Back In Time and rdiff-backup with Docker?
Back In Time: check the project docs for container support. rdiff-backup: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Back In Time or rdiff-backup?
rdiff-backup has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Back In Time. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.