bup vs Gickup
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?
bup
Efficient backup system based on the git packfile format
VS
Gickup
Mirror and back up Git repositories across hosts
| Feature | bup | Gickup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,337 | ★ 1,427 |
| First released | 2010 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | GitHub Backup |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Gickup if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is bup or Gickup better?
Neither is universally better. bup has the larger community, while Gickup is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are bup and Gickup free and open-source?
Yes. bup is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Gickup under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run bup and Gickup with Docker?
bup: check the project docs for container support. Gickup: yes.