Back In Time vs rsnapshot
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 | rsnapshot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 72 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,669 | ★ 3,683 |
| First released | 2008 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are Back In Time and rsnapshot?
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
rsnapshot
rsnapshot is a filesystem snapshot utility built on rsync that makes incremental backups of local and remote machines. It uses hard links to keep multiple full backups while saving disk space.
- Hard-link snapshot rotation
- Local and remote backups
- Low storage overhead
Back In Time vs rsnapshot: key differences
Back In Time is written in Python, while rsnapshot is built with Perl. Rsnapshot is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Back In Time. Rsnapshot is the more established project (first released 2003), while Back In Time arrived in 2008.
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 rsnapshot if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Back In Time or rsnapshot better?
Neither is universally better. rsnapshot has the larger community, while Back In Time is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Back In Time and rsnapshot free and open-source?
Yes. Back In Time is licensed under GPL-2.0 and rsnapshot under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Back In Time and rsnapshot with Docker?
Back In Time: check the project docs for container support. rsnapshot: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Back In Time or rsnapshot?
rsnapshot 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.