BackupPC vs BackupNinja
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
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BackupNinja
Lightweight backup configuration and scheduling system
| Feature | BackupPC | BackupNinja |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,621 | ★ 68 |
| First released | 2001 | 2004 |
| 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 BackupNinja if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or BackupNinja better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community, while BackupNinja is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BackupPC and BackupNinja free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and BackupNinja under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and BackupNinja with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. BackupNinja: check the project docs for container support.