Backrest vs Backup tool nono Plakar
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Backrest
Web UI and orchestrator for Restic backups
VS
Backup tool nono Plakar
Effortless backup with built-in verification and UI
| Feature | Backrest | Backup tool nono Plakar |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | ISC |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,394 | ★ 2,068 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Backblaze | Backblaze, CrashPlan |
What are Backrest and Backup tool nono Plakar?
Backrest
Backrest is a web-based backup orchestrator built on top of Restic, adding scheduling, monitoring, and a friendly interface. It targets users who want Restic's power with a GUI. It is deployed via Docker or a binary.
- Web UI for Restic
- Scheduling and retention policies
- Backup health monitoring
- Notifications
Backup tool nono Plakar
Plakar is a modern open-source backup solution that creates encrypted, deduplicated snapshots with built-in integrity verification. It includes a web UI for browsing and restoring data.
- Encrypted deduplicated snapshots
- Integrity verification
- Web UI for restores
Backrest vs Backup tool nono Plakar: key differences
Backrest is written in TypeScript, while Backup tool nono Plakar is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Backrest versus ISC for Backup tool nono Plakar. Backup tool nono Plakar is the more established project (first released 2021), while Backrest arrived in 2024. Backrest has the considerably larger community, at 7,394 GitHub stars versus 2,068.
Why pick each one
Choose Backrest if…
- Makes Restic approachable
- Good scheduling
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Young project
- Depends on Restic underneath
Choose Backup tool nono Plakar if…
- Released under the ISC license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Backrest or Backup tool nono Plakar better?
Backrest is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Backup tool nono Plakar if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Backrest and Backup tool nono Plakar free and open-source?
Yes. Backrest is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Backup tool nono Plakar under ISC. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Backrest and Backup tool nono Plakar with Docker?
Backrest: yes. Backup tool nono Plakar: yes.