Burp vs Minarca Backup
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?
Burp
Network backup and restore program for Unix and Windows
VS
Minarca Backup
Centralized rdiff-backup with self-service restore
| Feature | Burp | Minarca Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 504 | ★ 239 |
| First released | 2011 | 2016 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan | CrashPlan, Veeam |
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 Minarca Backup if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Burp or Minarca Backup better?
Neither is universally better. Burp has the larger community, while Minarca Backup is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Burp and Minarca Backup free and open-source?
Yes. Burp is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Minarca Backup under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Burp and Minarca Backup with Docker?
Burp: check the project docs for container support. Minarca Backup: yes.