pgmoneta 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 | pgmoneta | Docker Volume Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 75 · Good | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 317 | ★ 4,017 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Veeam | Veeam |
What are pgmoneta and Docker Volume Backup?
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
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
pgmoneta vs Docker Volume Backup: key differences
Pgmoneta is written in C, while Docker Volume Backup is built with Go. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for pgmoneta versus MPL-2.0 for Docker Volume Backup. Docker Volume Backup is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for pgmoneta. Docker Volume Backup has the considerably larger community, at 4,017 GitHub stars versus 317. Docker Volume Backup lists first-class Docker deployment; pgmoneta does not.
Why pick each one
Choose pgmoneta if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
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 pgmoneta or Docker Volume Backup better?
Docker Volume Backup is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider pgmoneta if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are pgmoneta and Docker Volume Backup free and open-source?
Yes. pgmoneta is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Docker Volume Backup under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run pgmoneta and Docker Volume Backup with Docker?
pgmoneta: check the project docs for container support. Docker Volume Backup: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, pgmoneta or Docker Volume Backup?
Docker Volume Backup has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for pgmoneta. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.