BackupPC vs rdiff-backup
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
rdiff-backup
Reverse-incremental backups preserving file history
| Feature | BackupPC | rdiff-backup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 65 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,626 | ★ 1,267 |
| First released | 2001 | 2001 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are BackupPC and rdiff-backup?
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
rdiff-backup
rdiff-backup backs up one directory to another, keeping the latest copy plus reverse diffs for older versions. It preserves permissions, ownership, and special files while working over SSH.
- Reverse-incremental storage
- Preserves file metadata
- Works over SSH
BackupPC vs rdiff-backup: key differences
BackupPC is written in Perl, while rdiff-backup is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for BackupPC versus GPL-2.0 for rdiff-backup. Rdiff-backup is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BackupPC. BackupPC lists first-class Docker deployment; rdiff-backup 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 rdiff-backup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or rdiff-backup better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community, while rdiff-backup is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BackupPC and rdiff-backup free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and rdiff-backup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and rdiff-backup with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. rdiff-backup: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, BackupPC or rdiff-backup?
rdiff-backup 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.