Barman vs bup
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?
Barman
Backup and recovery manager for PostgreSQL
VS
bup
Efficient backup system based on the git packfile format
| Feature | Barman | bup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,214 | ★ 7,337 |
| First released | 2012 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Veeam | Time Machine |
Why pick each one
Choose Barman if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (3.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose bup if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Mature project with 7.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Barman or bup better?
bup is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Barman if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Barman and bup free and open-source?
Yes. Barman is licensed under GPL-3.0 and bup under LGPL-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Barman and bup with Docker?
Barman: check the project docs for container support. bup: check the project docs for container support.