Velero vs SnapRAID
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
SnapRAID
Parity-based backup for disk arrays of large files
| Feature | Velero | SnapRAID |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,187 | ★ 2,543 |
| First released | 2017 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Kasten K10 | unRAID parity |
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 SnapRAID if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Velero or SnapRAID better?
Neither is universally better. Velero has the larger community, while SnapRAID is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Velero and SnapRAID free and open-source?
Yes. Velero is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SnapRAID under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Velero and SnapRAID with Docker?
Velero: check the project docs for container support. SnapRAID: check the project docs for container support.