pgBackRest vs Docker Volume Backup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Docker Volume Backup
Backup tool for Docker volumes to local or remote storage
| Feature | pgBackRest | Docker Volume Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,402 | ★ 4,017 |
| First released | 2013 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Veeam | Veeam |
What are pgBackRest and Docker Volume Backup?
pgBackRest
pgBackRest is a robust backup and restore tool for PostgreSQL that supports full, differential, and incremental backups. It offers parallel processing, encryption, and cloud storage targets.
- Full and incremental backups
- Parallel compression
- S3 and Azure storage support
Docker Volume Backup
Docker Volume Backup is a small companion container that periodically archives Docker volumes and uploads them to local, S3, or WebDAV destinations. It can stop and restart containers cleanly during backup.
- Docker volume archiving
- S3 and WebDAV targets
- Container stop hooks
- Encryption support
pgBackRest vs Docker Volume Backup: key differences
PgBackRest is written in C, while Docker Volume Backup is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for pgBackRest versus MPL-2.0 for Docker Volume Backup. Docker Volume Backup is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for pgBackRest. PgBackRest is the more established project (first released 2013), while Docker Volume Backup arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose pgBackRest if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Choose Docker Volume Backup if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is pgBackRest or Docker Volume Backup better?
Neither is universally better. pgBackRest has the larger community, while Docker Volume Backup is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are pgBackRest and Docker Volume Backup free and open-source?
Yes. pgBackRest is licensed under MIT and Docker Volume Backup under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run pgBackRest and Docker Volume Backup with Docker?
pgBackRest: yes. Docker Volume Backup: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, pgBackRest or Docker Volume Backup?
Docker Volume Backup has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for pgBackRest. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.