Duplicity vs Restic
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 36,213 |
| First released | 2002 | 2015 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Backblaze | Backblaze, Carbonite |
What are Duplicity and Restic?
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
Restic is a fast and secure backup program that creates encrypted, deduplicated snapshots to many storage backends. It targets users and admins who want reliable command-line backups. It is deployed as a single binary.
- Encrypted deduplicated snapshots
- Many storage backends
- Fast incremental backups
- Single self-contained binary
Duplicity vs Restic: key differences
Duplicity is written in Python, while Restic is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Duplicity versus BSD-2-Clause for Restic. Duplicity is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Restic. Duplicity is the more established project (first released 2002), while Restic arrived in 2015. Restic has the considerably larger community, at 36,213 GitHub stars versus 300. Restic 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 if…
- Strong encryption
- Efficient deduplication
- Wide backend support
Watch out for
- Command-line only
- No built-in scheduler
Frequently asked questions
Is Duplicity or Restic better?
Neither is universally better. Restic has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Duplicity and Restic free and open-source?
Yes. Duplicity is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Restic under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Duplicity and Restic with Docker?
Duplicity: check the project docs for container support. Restic: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Duplicity or Restic?
Duplicity has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Restic. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.