ElkarBackup vs Kopia
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Kopia
Fast, encrypted backup with a clean interface
| Feature | ElkarBackup | Kopia |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 66 · Good | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 416 | ★ 14,188 |
| First released | 2014 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Carbonite | Backblaze, Carbonite |
What are ElkarBackup and Kopia?
ElkarBackup
ElkarBackup is an open-source backup solution with a web interface, built on rsync and rsnapshot for incremental file backups. It targets administrators wanting GUI-managed network backups. It is deployed via Docker.
- Web UI for rsync backups
- Incremental snapshots
- Scheduling and scripts
- Email reports
Kopia
Kopia is a fast and secure backup tool that creates encrypted, deduplicated snapshots and offers both a CLI and a desktop GUI. It targets users who want modern backups with a clean interface. It is deployed as a binary or via Docker.
- Encrypted deduplicated snapshots
- Both CLI and desktop GUI
- Many storage backends
- Compression and policies
ElkarBackup vs Kopia: key differences
ElkarBackup is written in JavaScript, while Kopia is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for ElkarBackup versus Apache-2.0 for Kopia. Kopia is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for ElkarBackup. ElkarBackup is the more established project (first released 2014), while Kopia arrived in 2019. Kopia has the considerably larger community, at 14,188 GitHub stars versus 416.
Why pick each one
Choose ElkarBackup if…
- GUI for rsync backups
- Good scheduling
- Multi-host
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Slower development
Choose Kopia if…
- GUI and CLI both available
- Fast and efficient
- Modern design
Watch out for
- Younger than Restic
- Advanced options can confuse
Frequently asked questions
Is ElkarBackup or Kopia better?
Kopia is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ElkarBackup if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are ElkarBackup and Kopia free and open-source?
Yes. ElkarBackup is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kopia under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ElkarBackup and Kopia with Docker?
ElkarBackup: yes. Kopia: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ElkarBackup or Kopia?
Kopia has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for ElkarBackup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.