Obnam2 vs Restic Mailer
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Obnam2 | Restic Mailer |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 663 |
| First released | 2020 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Backblaze | Backblaze |
What are Obnam2 and Restic Mailer?
Obnam2
Obnam2 is a backup program that splits files into chunks for deduplicated, encrypted storage to a backup server. It is built with a focus on simplicity and verifiable correctness.
- Chunk-based deduplication
- Encrypted storage
- Backup server model
- Simplicity focused
Restic Mailer
A wrapper around restic that runs backups on schedule and emails detailed success or failure reports. It adds visibility to unattended restic deployments.
- Scheduled restic runs
- Email job reports
- systemd integration
- Unattended backups
Obnam2 vs Restic Mailer: key differences
Obnam2 is written in Rust, while Restic Mailer is built with Shell. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Obnam2 versus MIT for Restic Mailer. Restic Mailer is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Obnam2. Restic Mailer is the more established project (first released 2018), while Obnam2 arrived in 2020. Restic Mailer has the considerably larger community, at 663 GitHub stars versus 200. Restic Mailer lists first-class Docker deployment; Obnam2 does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Obnam2 if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Restic Mailer if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Shell
Frequently asked questions
Is Obnam2 or Restic Mailer better?
Restic Mailer is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Obnam2 if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Obnam2 and Restic Mailer free and open-source?
Yes. Obnam2 is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Restic Mailer under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Obnam2 and Restic Mailer with Docker?
Obnam2: check the project docs for container support. Restic Mailer: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Obnam2 or Restic Mailer?
Restic Mailer has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Obnam2. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.