Burp vs Duplicity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Burp | Duplicity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 502 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2011 | 2002 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan | CrashPlan, Backblaze |
What are Burp and Duplicity?
Burp
Burp is a backup and restore program that uses librsync to save network and disk usage, while protecting against corruption. It supports client-side encryption and Windows VSS.
- librsync-based deduplication
- Client-side encryption
- Windows VSS support
Duplicity
Duplicity backs up directories by producing encrypted, signed tar-format volumes and uploading them to a remote or local file server. It uses the rsync algorithm for incremental archives.
- GPG-encrypted archives
- Many remote storage backends
- Incremental rsync deltas
Burp vs Duplicity: key differences
Burp is written in C, while Duplicity is built with Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Burp versus GPL-2.0 for Duplicity. Duplicity is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Burp. Duplicity is the more established project (first released 2002), while Burp arrived in 2011.
Why pick each one
Choose Burp if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Duplicity if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Burp or Duplicity better?
Neither is universally better. Burp has the larger community, while Duplicity is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Burp and Duplicity free and open-source?
Yes. Burp is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Duplicity under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Burp and Duplicity with Docker?
Burp: check the project docs for container support. Duplicity: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Burp or Duplicity?
Duplicity has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Burp. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.