Burp vs BackupNinja
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
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BackupNinja
Lightweight backup configuration and scheduling system
| Feature | Burp | BackupNinja |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 504 | ★ 68 |
| First released | 2011 | 2004 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan | CrashPlan |
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 BackupNinja if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Burp or BackupNinja better?
Neither is universally better. Burp has the larger community, while BackupNinja is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Burp and BackupNinja free and open-source?
Yes. Burp is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and BackupNinja under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Burp and BackupNinja with Docker?
Burp: check the project docs for container support. BackupNinja: check the project docs for container support.