Backup tool nono Plakar vs Duplicity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Backup tool nono Plakar | Duplicity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | ISC | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,068 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2021 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Backblaze, CrashPlan | CrashPlan, Backblaze |
What are Backup tool nono Plakar and Duplicity?
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
Duplicity
Duplicity backs up directories by producing encrypted, signed tar-format volumes and uploading them to a remote or local file server. It uses the rsync algorithm for incremental archives.
- GPG-encrypted archives
- Many remote storage backends
- Incremental rsync deltas
Backup tool nono Plakar vs Duplicity: key differences
Backup tool nono Plakar is written in Go, while Duplicity is built with Python. Licensing differs — ISC for Backup tool nono Plakar versus GPL-2.0 for Duplicity. Duplicity is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Backup tool nono Plakar. Duplicity is the more established project (first released 2002), while Backup tool nono Plakar arrived in 2021. Backup tool nono Plakar has the considerably larger community, at 2,068 GitHub stars versus 300. Backup tool nono Plakar lists first-class Docker deployment; Duplicity does not.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Duplicity if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Backup tool nono Plakar or Duplicity better?
Neither is universally better. Backup tool nono Plakar has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Backup tool nono Plakar and Duplicity free and open-source?
Yes. Backup tool nono Plakar is licensed under ISC and Duplicity under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Backup tool nono Plakar and Duplicity with Docker?
Backup tool nono Plakar: yes. Duplicity: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Backup tool nono Plakar or Duplicity?
Duplicity has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Backup tool nono Plakar. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.