BackupPC vs btrbk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
BackupPC
High-performance backup system for PCs and servers
VS
btrbk
Backup tool for Btrfs subvolume snapshots
| Feature | BackupPC | btrbk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 78 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,626 | ★ 2,155 |
| First released | 2001 | 2014 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are BackupPC and btrbk?
BackupPC
BackupPC is a high-performance system for backing up Linux, Windows, and macOS PCs to a server's disk. It uses pooling and compression to minimize disk usage, with a full web interface.
- File pooling deduplication
- Web management interface
- No client software required
btrbk
btrbk is a backup tool for creating and managing snapshots of Btrfs subvolumes and replicating them to local or remote targets. It is designed for incremental, atomic backups driven by a simple configuration file.
- Incremental Btrfs backups
- Remote replication over SSH
- Configurable retention
- Atomic snapshots
BackupPC vs btrbk: key differences
Both projects are written in Perl. Btrbk is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BackupPC. BackupPC is the more established project (first released 2001), while btrbk arrived in 2014. BackupPC lists first-class Docker deployment; btrbk does not.
Why pick each one
Choose BackupPC if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
Choose btrbk if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Btrfs only
- No graphical interface
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or btrbk better?
btrbk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider BackupPC if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are BackupPC and btrbk free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and btrbk under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and btrbk with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. btrbk: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, BackupPC or btrbk?
btrbk has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for BackupPC. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.