Burp vs Rdiffweb
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Burp | Rdiffweb |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 502 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2011 | 2014 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan | CrashPlan |
What are Burp and Rdiffweb?
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
Rdiffweb
Rdiffweb is a web application used to browse and restore data from rdiff-backup repositories. It provides email notifications, quota management, and multi-user access.
- Browse rdiff-backup repos
- Email notifications
- Per-user quotas
Burp vs Rdiffweb: key differences
Burp is written in C, while Rdiffweb is built with Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Burp versus GPL-3.0 for Rdiffweb. Burp is the more established project (first released 2011), while Rdiffweb arrived in 2014. Burp has the considerably larger community, at 502 GitHub stars versus 200. Rdiffweb lists first-class Docker deployment; Burp does not.
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 Rdiffweb if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Burp or Rdiffweb better?
Neither is universally better. Burp has the larger community, while Rdiffweb is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Burp and Rdiffweb free and open-source?
Yes. Burp is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Rdiffweb under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Burp and Rdiffweb with Docker?
Burp: check the project docs for container support. Rdiffweb: yes.