ElkarBackup vs UrBackup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ElkarBackup | UrBackup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 66 · Good | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 416 | ★ 922 |
| First released | 2014 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Carbonite | Carbonite |
What are ElkarBackup and UrBackup?
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
UrBackup
UrBackup is a client-server backup system that performs both file and disk image backups across a network with a web UI. It targets administrators backing up multiple machines. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- File and full image backups
- Client-server architecture
- Web-based administration
- Incremental backups
ElkarBackup vs UrBackup: key differences
ElkarBackup is written in JavaScript, while UrBackup is built with C. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for ElkarBackup versus AGPL-3.0 for UrBackup. UrBackup is the more established project (first released 2011), while ElkarBackup arrived in 2014. UrBackup has the considerably larger community, at 922 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 UrBackup if…
- Good for backing up many PCs
- Image backup support
- Central management
Watch out for
- Interface feels dated
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is ElkarBackup or UrBackup better?
Neither is universally better. UrBackup has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ElkarBackup and UrBackup free and open-source?
Yes. ElkarBackup is licensed under GPL-3.0 and UrBackup under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ElkarBackup and UrBackup with Docker?
ElkarBackup: yes. UrBackup: yes.