nxs-backup vs pgmoneta
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | nxs-backup | pgmoneta |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 75 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 276 | ★ 317 |
| First released | 2022 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Veeam | Veeam |
What are nxs-backup and pgmoneta?
nxs-backup
Nxs-backup is an open-source backup solution that simplifies the backup of files and databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. It supports incremental backups and remote storage.
- File and database backups
- Incremental support
- Remote storage targets
pgmoneta
pgmoneta is a backup and restore solution for PostgreSQL that focuses on efficiency and modern features. It supports incremental backups, compression, and encryption with minimal overhead.
- Incremental PostgreSQL backups
- Built-in compression
- Low-overhead design
nxs-backup vs pgmoneta: key differences
Nxs-backup is written in Go, while pgmoneta is built with C. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for nxs-backup versus BSD-3-Clause for pgmoneta. Nxs-backup lists first-class Docker deployment; pgmoneta does not.
Why pick each one
Choose nxs-backup if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose pgmoneta if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is nxs-backup or pgmoneta better?
Neither is universally better. pgmoneta has the larger community, while nxs-backup is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are nxs-backup and pgmoneta free and open-source?
Yes. nxs-backup is licensed under GPL-3.0 and pgmoneta under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run nxs-backup and pgmoneta with Docker?
nxs-backup: yes. pgmoneta: check the project docs for container support.