BorgBackup vs MySQL backup XtraBackup
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?
BorgBackup
Deduplicating archiver with compression and encryption
VS
MySQL backup XtraBackup
Hot online backup for MySQL and MariaDB
| Feature | BorgBackup | MySQL backup XtraBackup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,588 | ★ 1,545 |
| First released | 2015 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Carbonite, Backblaze | MySQL Enterprise Backup |
Why pick each one
Choose MySQL backup XtraBackup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BorgBackup or MySQL backup XtraBackup better?
BorgBackup is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider MySQL backup XtraBackup if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are BorgBackup and MySQL backup XtraBackup free and open-source?
Yes. BorgBackup is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and MySQL backup XtraBackup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BorgBackup and MySQL backup XtraBackup with Docker?
BorgBackup: check the project docs for container support. MySQL backup XtraBackup: check the project docs for container support.