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.
| Feature | bup | Restic Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| 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 | ★ 7,355 | ★ 1,306 |
| First released | 2010 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are bup and Restic Browser?
bup
bup is a backup tool that stores data using the git packfile format with rolling-checksum deduplication. It can back up enormous datasets efficiently and incrementally.
- Git-packfile storage format
- Rolling-checksum deduplication
- Handles very large datasets
Restic Browser
Restic Browser is a cross-platform desktop application that lets you explore the contents of Restic backup repositories and restore individual files. It provides a graphical alternative to the CLI.
- Browse Restic snapshots visually
- Restore individual files
- Cross-platform desktop app
bup vs Restic Browser: key differences
Bup is written in Python, while Restic Browser is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — LGPL-2.1 for bup versus MIT for Restic Browser. Bup is the more established project (first released 2010), while Restic Browser arrived in 2022. Bup has the considerably larger community, at 7,355 GitHub stars versus 1,306.
Why pick each one
Choose bup if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Mature project with 7.4k 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.