Kup vs rdiff-backup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Kup | rdiff-backup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 100 | ★ 1,267 |
| First released | 2012 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are Kup and rdiff-backup?
Kup
Kup is a backup scheduler for the KDE desktop that helps users keep their personal files backed up. It supports synchronized folders and incremental backups using the bup format.
- Integrated with KDE Plasma
- bup-based incremental backups
- Automatic scheduling
rdiff-backup
rdiff-backup backs up one directory to another, keeping the latest copy plus reverse diffs for older versions. It preserves permissions, ownership, and special files while working over SSH.
- Reverse-incremental storage
- Preserves file metadata
- Works over SSH
Kup vs rdiff-backup: key differences
Kup is written in C++, while rdiff-backup is built with Python. Rdiff-backup is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Kup. Rdiff-backup is the more established project (first released 2001), while Kup arrived in 2012. Rdiff-backup has the considerably larger community, at 1,267 GitHub stars versus 100.
Why pick each one
Choose Kup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose rdiff-backup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Kup or rdiff-backup better?
Neither is universally better. rdiff-backup has the larger community, while Kup is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kup and rdiff-backup free and open-source?
Yes. Kup is licensed under GPL-2.0 and rdiff-backup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kup and rdiff-backup with Docker?
Kup: check the project docs for container support. rdiff-backup: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Kup or rdiff-backup?
rdiff-backup has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Kup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.