Barman vs nxs-backup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Barman | nxs-backup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 74 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,244 | ★ 276 |
| First released | 2012 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Veeam | Veeam |
What are Barman and nxs-backup?
Barman
Barman is a disaster recovery tool for PostgreSQL servers that manages backups and point-in-time recovery. It supports remote backups, retention policies, and WAL archiving.
- Point-in-time recovery
- Retention policy management
- Remote backup support
nxs-backup
Nxs-backup is an open-source backup solution that simplifies the backup of files and databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. It supports incremental backups and remote storage.
- File and database backups
- Incremental support
- Remote storage targets
Barman vs nxs-backup: key differences
Barman is written in Python, while nxs-backup is built with Go. Nxs-backup is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Barman. Barman is the more established project (first released 2012), while nxs-backup arrived in 2022. Barman has the considerably larger community, at 3,244 GitHub stars versus 276. Nxs-backup lists first-class Docker deployment; Barman does not.
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 nxs-backup if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Barman or nxs-backup better?
Neither is universally better. Barman has the larger community, while nxs-backup is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Barman and nxs-backup free and open-source?
Yes. Barman is licensed under GPL-3.0 and nxs-backup under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Barman and nxs-backup with Docker?
Barman: check the project docs for container support. nxs-backup: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Barman or nxs-backup?
nxs-backup has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Barman. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.