Backrest vs ElkarBackup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Backrest
Web UI and orchestrator for Restic backups
VS
ElkarBackup
Web-based backup solution built on rsync
| Feature | Backrest | ElkarBackup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,071 | ★ 415 |
| First released | 2024 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Backblaze | Carbonite |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Backrest or ElkarBackup better?
Backrest is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ElkarBackup if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Backrest and ElkarBackup free and open-source?
Yes. Backrest is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ElkarBackup under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Backrest and ElkarBackup with Docker?
Backrest: yes. ElkarBackup: yes.