SHSelfHostIndex

Backup tool nono Plakar vs Minarca Backup

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?
BA Backup tool nono Plakar Effortless backup with built-in verification and UI VS MI Minarca Backup Centralized rdiff-backup with self-service restore
FeatureBackup tool nono PlakarMinarca Backup
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score86 · Excellent31 · At risk
CategoryBackup & RecoveryBackup & Recovery
LicenseISCAGPL-3.0
LanguageGoPython
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 2,068★ 263
First released20212016
ReplacesBackblaze, CrashPlanCrashPlan, Veeam

What are Backup tool nono Plakar and Minarca Backup?

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

Minarca Backup

Minarca is a centralized backup solution built on rdiff-backup that lets users back up multiple machines and restore their own files through a web interface. It is designed for organizations protecting many endpoints.

  • Centralized endpoint backup
  • Self-service restore
  • rdiff-backup engine
  • Web management

Backup tool nono Plakar vs Minarca Backup: key differences

Backup tool nono Plakar is written in Go, while Minarca Backup is built with Python. Licensing differs — ISC for Backup tool nono Plakar versus AGPL-3.0 for Minarca Backup. Backup tool nono Plakar is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Minarca Backup. Minarca Backup is the more established project (first released 2016), while Backup tool nono Plakar arrived in 2021. Backup tool nono Plakar has the considerably larger community, at 2,068 GitHub stars versus 263.

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
Backup tool nono Plakar details

Choose Minarca Backup if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in Python
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Minarca Backup details

Frequently asked questions

Is Backup tool nono Plakar or Minarca Backup 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 Minarca Backup free and open-source?

Yes. Backup tool nono Plakar is licensed under ISC and Minarca Backup under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Backup tool nono Plakar and Minarca Backup with Docker?

Backup tool nono Plakar: yes. Minarca Backup: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Backup tool nono Plakar or Minarca Backup?

Backup tool nono Plakar has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Minarca Backup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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