BackupPC vs Rdiffweb
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?
BackupPC
High-performance backup system for PCs and servers
VS
Rdiffweb
Web interface to browse and restore rdiff-backup repositories
| Feature | BackupPC | Rdiffweb |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,621 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2001 | 2014 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | CrashPlan |
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 Rdiffweb if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or Rdiffweb better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community, while Rdiffweb is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BackupPC and Rdiffweb free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Rdiffweb under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and Rdiffweb with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. Rdiffweb: yes.