BackupPC vs Bupstash
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
Bupstash
Easy and efficient encrypted backups
| Feature | BackupPC | Bupstash |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 13 · At risk |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Perl | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,626 | ★ 924 |
| First released | 2001 | 2020 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | Backblaze, CrashPlan |
What are BackupPC and Bupstash?
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
Bupstash
Bupstash is a tool for encrypted, deduplicated, and compressed backups. It is designed to be simple, secure, and efficient, storing backups locally or over SSH.
- Encrypted deduplicated backups
- Works over SSH
- Simple command-line interface
BackupPC vs Bupstash: key differences
BackupPC is written in Perl, while Bupstash is built with Rust. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for BackupPC versus MIT for Bupstash. Bupstash is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BackupPC. BackupPC is the more established project (first released 2001), while Bupstash arrived in 2020. BackupPC lists first-class Docker deployment; Bupstash 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 Bupstash if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or Bupstash better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community, while Bupstash is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BackupPC and Bupstash free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Bupstash under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and Bupstash with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. Bupstash: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, BackupPC or Bupstash?
Bupstash has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for BackupPC. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.