CKAN vs K8up
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 | K8up |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,088 | ★ 1,010 |
| First released | 2026 | 2018 |
| Replaces | — | Kasten K10 |
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 K8up if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is CKAN or K8up better?
CKAN is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider K8up if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are CKAN and K8up free and open-source?
Yes. CKAN is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and K8up under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CKAN and K8up with Docker?
CKAN: check the project docs for container support. K8up: check the project docs for container support.