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.
BackupPC
High-performance backup system for PCs and servers
VS
Rdiffweb
Web interface to browse and restore rdiff-backup repositories
| Feature | BackupPC | Rdiffweb |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| 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 | ★ 1,626 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2001 | 2014 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | CrashPlan |
What are BackupPC and Rdiffweb?
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
Rdiffweb
Rdiffweb is a web application used to browse and restore data from rdiff-backup repositories. It provides email notifications, quota management, and multi-user access.
- Browse rdiff-backup repos
- Email notifications
- Per-user quotas
BackupPC vs Rdiffweb: key differences
BackupPC is written in Perl, while Rdiffweb is built with Python. Rdiffweb 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 Rdiffweb arrived in 2014. BackupPC has the considerably larger community, at 1,626 GitHub stars versus 200.
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.
Which is lighter on resources, BackupPC or Rdiffweb?
Rdiffweb 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.