Deja Dup 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?
Deja Dup
Simple backup tool for the GNOME desktop
VS
Velero
Backup and migrate Kubernetes cluster resources
| Feature | Deja Dup | Velero |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Vala | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 600 | ★ 10,187 |
| First released | 2008 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Time Machine, Backblaze | Kasten K10 |
Why pick each one
Choose Deja Dup if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Vala
- 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 Deja Dup or Velero better?
Neither is universally better. Velero has the larger community, while Deja Dup is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Deja Dup and Velero free and open-source?
Yes. Deja Dup is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Velero under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Deja Dup and Velero with Docker?
Deja Dup: check the project docs for container support. Velero: check the project docs for container support.