Duplicity vs Minarca
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Minarca
Cross-platform backup software with a central server
| Feature | Duplicity | Minarca |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2002 | 2015 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Backblaze | CrashPlan |
What are Duplicity and Minarca?
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
Minarca
Minarca is a free and open-source backup software with a centralized web-based server and cross-platform clients. It is built on rdiff-backup for efficient incremental backups.
- Central backup server
- Cross-platform clients
- rdiff-backup engine
Duplicity vs Minarca: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Duplicity versus GPL-3.0 for Minarca. Duplicity is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Minarca. Duplicity is the more established project (first released 2002), while Minarca arrived in 2015. Duplicity has the considerably larger community, at 300 GitHub stars versus 100. Minarca 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 Minarca if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Duplicity or Minarca better?
Neither is universally better. Duplicity has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Duplicity and Minarca free and open-source?
Yes. Duplicity is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Minarca under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Duplicity and Minarca with Docker?
Duplicity: check the project docs for container support. Minarca: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Duplicity or Minarca?
Duplicity has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Minarca. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.