Rdiffweb 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?
Rdiffweb
Web interface to browse and restore rdiff-backup repositories
VS
Velero
Backup and migrate Kubernetes cluster resources
| Feature | Rdiffweb | Velero |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 10,187 |
| First released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan | Kasten K10 |
Why pick each one
Choose Rdiffweb if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 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 Rdiffweb or Velero better?
Neither is universally better. Velero has the larger community, while Rdiffweb is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Rdiffweb and Velero free and open-source?
Yes. Rdiffweb is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Velero under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rdiffweb and Velero with Docker?
Rdiffweb: yes. Velero: check the project docs for container support.