CKAN vs Gickup
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?
| Feature | CKAN | Gickup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,088 | ★ 1,427 |
| First released | 2026 | 2020 |
| Replaces | — | GitHub Backup |
Why pick each one
Choose CKAN if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 5.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Gickup if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is CKAN or Gickup better?
Neither is universally better. CKAN has the larger community, while Gickup is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are CKAN and Gickup free and open-source?
Yes. CKAN is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Gickup under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CKAN and Gickup with Docker?
CKAN: check the project docs for container support. Gickup: yes.