HashBackup 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 | HashBackup | Minarca |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2009 | 2015 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan | CrashPlan |
What are HashBackup and Minarca?
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
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
HashBackup vs Minarca: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — MIT for HashBackup versus GPL-3.0 for Minarca. HashBackup is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Minarca. HashBackup is the more established project (first released 2009), while Minarca arrived in 2015. Minarca has the considerably larger community, at 100 GitHub stars versus 1. Minarca 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 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 HashBackup or Minarca better?
Neither is universally better. Minarca has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are HashBackup and Minarca free and open-source?
Yes. HashBackup is licensed under MIT and Minarca under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run HashBackup and Minarca with Docker?
HashBackup: check the project docs for container support. Minarca: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, HashBackup or Minarca?
HashBackup has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Minarca. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.