Backrest vs BorgBackup
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
BorgBackup
Deduplicating archiver with compression and encryption
| Feature | Backrest | BorgBackup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,389 | ★ 13,756 |
| First released | 2024 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Backblaze | Carbonite, Backblaze |
What are Backrest and BorgBackup?
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
BorgBackup
BorgBackup is a deduplicating backup program with compression and authenticated encryption for efficient, secure archives. It targets technical users backing up to local or remote storage. It is deployed as a binary or package.
- Deduplication and compression
- Authenticated encryption
- Append-only repos for ransomware safety
- Efficient remote backups over SSH
Backrest vs BorgBackup: key differences
Backrest is written in TypeScript, while BorgBackup is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Backrest versus BSD-3-Clause for BorgBackup. BorgBackup is the more established project (first released 2015), while Backrest arrived in 2024. Backrest lists first-class Docker deployment; BorgBackup does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Backrest if…
- Makes Restic approachable
- Good scheduling
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Young project
- Depends on Restic underneath
Choose BorgBackup if…
- Excellent space efficiency
- Strong security
- Battle-tested
Watch out for
- Command-line oriented
- Repo not directly mountable everywhere
Frequently asked questions
Is Backrest or BorgBackup better?
Neither is universally better. BorgBackup has the larger community, while Backrest is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Backrest and BorgBackup free and open-source?
Yes. Backrest is licensed under GPL-3.0 and BorgBackup under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Backrest and BorgBackup with Docker?
Backrest: yes. BorgBackup: check the project docs for container support.