BackupPC vs Burp
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
Burp
Network backup and restore program for Unix and Windows
| Feature | BackupPC | Burp |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 74 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,626 | ★ 502 |
| First released | 2001 | 2011 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | CrashPlan |
What are BackupPC and Burp?
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
Burp
Burp is a backup and restore program that uses librsync to save network and disk usage, while protecting against corruption. It supports client-side encryption and Windows VSS.
- librsync-based deduplication
- Client-side encryption
- Windows VSS support
BackupPC vs Burp: key differences
BackupPC is written in Perl, while Burp is built with C. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for BackupPC versus AGPL-3.0 for Burp. Burp is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BackupPC. BackupPC is the more established project (first released 2001), while Burp arrived in 2011. BackupPC has the considerably larger community, at 1,626 GitHub stars versus 502. BackupPC lists first-class Docker deployment; Burp 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 Burp if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or Burp better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are BackupPC and Burp free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Burp under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and Burp with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. Burp: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, BackupPC or Burp?
Burp has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for BackupPC. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.