CKAN vs Restic Browser
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 | Restic Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,088 | ★ 1,275 |
| First released | 2026 | 2022 |
| Replaces | — | Time Machine |
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 Restic Browser if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is CKAN or Restic Browser better?
Neither is universally better. CKAN has the larger community, while Restic Browser is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are CKAN and Restic Browser free and open-source?
Yes. CKAN is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Restic Browser under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CKAN and Restic Browser with Docker?
CKAN: check the project docs for container support. Restic Browser: check the project docs for container support.