HashBackup vs Rdiffweb
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | HashBackup | Rdiffweb |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2009 | 2014 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan | CrashPlan |
What are HashBackup and Rdiffweb?
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
Rdiffweb
Rdiffweb is a web application used to browse and restore data from rdiff-backup repositories. It provides email notifications, quota management, and multi-user access.
- Browse rdiff-backup repos
- Email notifications
- Per-user quotas
HashBackup vs Rdiffweb: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — MIT for HashBackup versus GPL-3.0 for Rdiffweb. HashBackup is the more established project (first released 2009), while Rdiffweb arrived in 2014. Rdiffweb has the considerably larger community, at 200 GitHub stars versus 1. Rdiffweb 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 Rdiffweb if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is HashBackup or Rdiffweb better?
Neither is universally better. Rdiffweb has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are HashBackup and Rdiffweb free and open-source?
Yes. HashBackup is licensed under MIT and Rdiffweb under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run HashBackup and Rdiffweb with Docker?
HashBackup: check the project docs for container support. Rdiffweb: yes.