Deja Dup vs ZnapZend
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Deja Dup | ZnapZend |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vala | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 600 | ★ 669 |
| First released | 2008 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Time Machine, Backblaze | Time Machine |
What are Deja Dup and ZnapZend?
Deja Dup
Deja Dup is a simple backup tool that hides the complexity of doing backups properly. It supports local, network, and cloud storage with encryption and incremental backups powered by Restic.
- Beginner-friendly GUI
- Encrypted incremental backups
- Local and cloud targets
ZnapZend
ZnapZend is a ZFS backup tool that automates the creation, retention, and replication of ZFS snapshots. It runs as a daemon and supports compressed transfers over SSH.
- Automated ZFS snapshot retention
- SSH replication
- Runs as a background daemon
Deja Dup vs ZnapZend: key differences
Deja Dup is written in Vala, while ZnapZend is built with Perl. ZnapZend is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Deja Dup. Deja Dup is the more established project (first released 2008), while ZnapZend arrived in 2014.
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 ZnapZend if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Deja Dup or ZnapZend better?
Neither is universally better. ZnapZend 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 ZnapZend free and open-source?
Yes. Deja Dup is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ZnapZend under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Deja Dup and ZnapZend with Docker?
Deja Dup: check the project docs for container support. ZnapZend: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Deja Dup or ZnapZend?
ZnapZend has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Deja Dup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.