bup vs Restic Browser
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
Restic Browser
Desktop app to browse and restore Restic snapshots
| Feature | bup | Restic Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,337 | ★ 1,275 |
| First released | 2010 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
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 Restic Browser if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is bup or Restic Browser better?
Neither is universally better. bup has the larger community, while Restic Browser is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are bup and Restic Browser free and open-source?
Yes. bup is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Restic Browser under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run bup and Restic Browser with Docker?
bup: check the project docs for container support. Restic Browser: check the project docs for container support.