HashBackup vs Minarca Backup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | HashBackup | Minarca Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 0 · At risk | 31 · At risk |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1 | ★ 263 |
| First released | 2009 | 2016 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan | CrashPlan, Veeam |
What are HashBackup and Minarca Backup?
HashBackup
HashBackup is a command-line backup program for Unix-like systems that performs deduplicated, compressed, and encrypted backups to local or remote destinations. It supports retention policies, selective restore, and many storage targets.
- Deduplication and compression
- Encrypted backups
- Many remote destinations
- Flexible retention
Minarca Backup
Minarca is a centralized backup solution built on rdiff-backup that lets users back up multiple machines and restore their own files through a web interface. It is designed for organizations protecting many endpoints.
- Centralized endpoint backup
- Self-service restore
- rdiff-backup engine
- Web management
HashBackup vs Minarca Backup: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — MIT for HashBackup versus AGPL-3.0 for Minarca Backup. HashBackup is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Minarca Backup. HashBackup is the more established project (first released 2009), while Minarca Backup arrived in 2016. Minarca Backup has the considerably larger community, at 263 GitHub stars versus 1. Minarca Backup lists first-class Docker deployment; HashBackup does not.
Why pick each one
Choose HashBackup if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Command-line only
- Smaller community
Choose Minarca Backup if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is HashBackup or Minarca Backup better?
Neither is universally better. Minarca Backup has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are HashBackup and Minarca Backup free and open-source?
Yes. HashBackup is licensed under MIT and Minarca Backup under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run HashBackup and Minarca Backup with Docker?
HashBackup: check the project docs for container support. Minarca Backup: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, HashBackup or Minarca Backup?
HashBackup has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Minarca Backup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.