Duplicity vs Restic Cron
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Duplicity | Restic Cron |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Python | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 715 |
| First released | 2002 | 2019 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Backblaze | Backblaze |
What are Duplicity and Restic Cron?
Duplicity
Duplicity backs up directories by producing encrypted, signed tar-format volumes and uploading them to a remote or local file server. It uses the rsync algorithm for incremental archives.
- GPG-encrypted archives
- Many remote storage backends
- Incremental rsync deltas
Restic Cron
A containerized scheduler that runs restic backups on a cron schedule and prunes old snapshots. It is designed to be a drop-in backup sidecar for self-hosted stacks.
- Cron-scheduled backups
- Automatic pruning
- restic backend
- Sidecar container
Duplicity vs Restic Cron: key differences
Duplicity is written in Python, while Restic Cron is built with Shell. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Duplicity versus BSD-2-Clause for Restic Cron. Restic Cron is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Duplicity. Duplicity is the more established project (first released 2002), while Restic Cron arrived in 2019. Restic Cron has the considerably larger community, at 715 GitHub stars versus 300. Restic Cron lists first-class Docker deployment; Duplicity does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Duplicity if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Restic Cron if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Shell
Frequently asked questions
Is Duplicity or Restic Cron better?
Restic Cron is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Duplicity if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Duplicity and Restic Cron free and open-source?
Yes. Duplicity is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Restic Cron under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Duplicity and Restic Cron with Docker?
Duplicity: check the project docs for container support. Restic Cron: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Duplicity or Restic Cron?
Restic Cron has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Duplicity. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.