Velero vs Restic REST Server
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?
Velero
Backup and migrate Kubernetes cluster resources
VS
Restic REST Server
High-performance HTTP backend for Restic backups
| Feature | Velero | Restic REST Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,187 | ★ 1,470 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Kasten K10 | Backblaze B2 |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Restic REST Server if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Velero or Restic REST Server better?
Neither is universally better. Velero has the larger community, while Restic REST Server is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Velero and Restic REST Server free and open-source?
Yes. Velero is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Restic REST Server under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Velero and Restic REST Server with Docker?
Velero: check the project docs for container support. Restic REST Server: yes.