rdiff-backup vs Velero
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
rdiff-backup
Reverse-incremental backups preserving file history
VS
Velero
Backup and migrate Kubernetes cluster resources
| Feature | rdiff-backup | Velero |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,264 | ★ 10,187 |
| First released | 2001 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Kasten K10 |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Velero if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 10.2k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is rdiff-backup or Velero better?
Neither is universally better. Velero has the larger community, while rdiff-backup is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are rdiff-backup and Velero free and open-source?
Yes. rdiff-backup is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Velero under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run rdiff-backup and Velero with Docker?
rdiff-backup: check the project docs for container support. Velero: check the project docs for container support.