rsnapshot 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 | rsnapshot | ZnapZend |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 72 · Good | 76 · Good |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,683 | ★ 669 |
| First released | 2003 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are rsnapshot and ZnapZend?
rsnapshot
rsnapshot is a filesystem snapshot utility built on rsync that makes incremental backups of local and remote machines. It uses hard links to keep multiple full backups while saving disk space.
- Hard-link snapshot rotation
- Local and remote backups
- Low storage overhead
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
rsnapshot vs ZnapZend: key differences
Both projects are written in Perl. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for rsnapshot versus GPL-3.0 for ZnapZend. Rsnapshot is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for ZnapZend. Rsnapshot is the more established project (first released 2003), while ZnapZend arrived in 2014. Rsnapshot has the considerably larger community, at 3,683 GitHub stars versus 669.
Why pick each one
Choose rsnapshot if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 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 rsnapshot or ZnapZend better?
rsnapshot is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider ZnapZend if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are rsnapshot and ZnapZend free and open-source?
Yes. rsnapshot is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ZnapZend under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run rsnapshot and ZnapZend with Docker?
rsnapshot: check the project docs for container support. ZnapZend: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, rsnapshot or ZnapZend?
rsnapshot has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for ZnapZend. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.