Backrest vs Duplicacy
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
Duplicacy
Lock-free deduplication cloud backup tool
| Feature | Backrest | Duplicacy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,389 | ★ 5,683 |
| First released | 2024 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Backblaze | Backblaze, Carbonite |
What are Backrest and Duplicacy?
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
Duplicacy
Duplicacy is a cross-platform cloud backup tool using a novel lock-free deduplication algorithm for efficient encrypted backups. It targets users backing up to cloud storage. It is deployed as a binary with an optional web UI.
- Lock-free deduplication
- Many cloud backends
- Cross-computer deduplication
- Optional web GUI
Backrest vs Duplicacy: key differences
Backrest is written in TypeScript, while Duplicacy is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Backrest versus Proprietary for Duplicacy. Duplicacy is the more established project (first released 2016), while Backrest arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Backrest if…
- Makes Restic approachable
- Good scheduling
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Young project
- Depends on Restic underneath
Choose Duplicacy if…
- Efficient deduplication
- Good cloud support
- Reliable
Watch out for
- Web edition is paid
- CLI is free but licensed
Frequently asked questions
Is Backrest or Duplicacy better?
Backrest is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Duplicacy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Backrest and Duplicacy free and open-source?
Yes. Backrest is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Duplicacy under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Backrest and Duplicacy with Docker?
Backrest: yes. Duplicacy: yes.