bup vs rsnapshot
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | bup | rsnapshot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 72 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,355 | ★ 3,683 |
| First released | 2010 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are bup and rsnapshot?
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
rsnapshot
rsnapshot is a filesystem snapshot utility built on rsync that makes incremental backups of local and remote machines. It uses hard links to keep multiple full backups while saving disk space.
- Hard-link snapshot rotation
- Local and remote backups
- Low storage overhead
bup vs rsnapshot: key differences
Bup is written in Python, while rsnapshot is built with Perl. Licensing differs — LGPL-2.1 for bup versus GPL-2.0 for rsnapshot. Rsnapshot is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for bup. Rsnapshot is the more established project (first released 2003), while bup arrived in 2010.
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 rsnapshot if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is bup or rsnapshot better?
Neither is universally better. bup has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are bup and rsnapshot free and open-source?
Yes. bup is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and rsnapshot under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run bup and rsnapshot with Docker?
bup: check the project docs for container support. rsnapshot: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, bup or rsnapshot?
rsnapshot has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for bup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.