Bupstash vs Duplicati
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Duplicati
Free backup software with a friendly web UI
| Feature | Bupstash | Duplicati |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 13 · At risk | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 924 | ★ 15,020 |
| First released | 2020 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Backblaze, CrashPlan | Backblaze, Carbonite |
What are Bupstash and Duplicati?
Bupstash
Bupstash is a tool for encrypted, deduplicated, and compressed backups. It is designed to be simple, secure, and efficient, storing backups locally or over SSH.
- Encrypted deduplicated backups
- Works over SSH
- Simple command-line interface
Duplicati
Duplicati is free backup software that stores encrypted, incremental backups to cloud and local destinations through a web interface. It targets users who want scheduled GUI-driven backups. It is deployed via Docker or installers.
- Web-based backup management
- Encrypted incremental backups
- Many cloud storage targets
- Scheduling built in
Bupstash vs Duplicati: key differences
Bupstash is written in Rust, while Duplicati is built with C#. Bupstash is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Duplicati. Duplicati is the more established project (first released 2008), while Bupstash arrived in 2020. Duplicati has the considerably larger community, at 15,020 GitHub stars versus 924. Duplicati lists first-class Docker deployment; Bupstash does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Bupstash if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Duplicati if…
- Friendly GUI
- Broad storage support
- Free
Watch out for
- Restores can be slow
- Long beta history
Frequently asked questions
Is Bupstash or Duplicati better?
Duplicati is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Bupstash if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Bupstash and Duplicati free and open-source?
Yes. Bupstash is licensed under MIT and Duplicati under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bupstash and Duplicati with Docker?
Bupstash: check the project docs for container support. Duplicati: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Bupstash or Duplicati?
Bupstash has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Duplicati. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.