BackupPC vs rsnapshot
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
rsnapshot
Filesystem snapshot utility based on rsync
| Feature | BackupPC | rsnapshot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 72 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,626 | ★ 3,683 |
| First released | 2001 | 2003 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are BackupPC and rsnapshot?
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
rsnapshot
rsnapshot is a filesystem snapshot utility built on rsync that makes incremental backups of local and remote machines. It uses hard links to keep multiple full backups while saving disk space.
- Hard-link snapshot rotation
- Local and remote backups
- Low storage overhead
BackupPC vs rsnapshot: key differences
Both projects are written in Perl. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for BackupPC versus GPL-2.0 for rsnapshot. Rsnapshot is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BackupPC. BackupPC is the more established project (first released 2001), while rsnapshot arrived in 2003. Rsnapshot has the considerably larger community, at 3,683 GitHub stars versus 1,626. BackupPC lists first-class Docker deployment; rsnapshot 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 rsnapshot if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or rsnapshot better?
rsnapshot is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider BackupPC if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are BackupPC and rsnapshot free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and rsnapshot under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and rsnapshot with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. rsnapshot: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, BackupPC or rsnapshot?
rsnapshot 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.