bup
Command-line backup system built on the git packfile format with deduplication and fast incremental saves.
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About bup
bup stores backups in the git packfile format. It splits data into chunks so that identical content is stored only once, both across files and within them, which makes it efficient for large files such as virtual machine images. Incremental saves are fast because only changed chunks are written.
It is a command-line tool, and the project takes bug reports and patches through its mailing list. It suits technical users comfortable with the terminal who want space-efficient backups.
Strengths
- Global deduplication across and within files
- Fast incremental saves
- Handles large files such as virtual machine images well
Limitations
- Command line only
- Development discussion happens on a mailing list rather than GitHub issues
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source.
- License
- LGPL-2.1
- Developer
- The bup contributors
- Platforms
- macOS, Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Terminal users who want deduplicated backups of large or frequently changing files
- Categories
- Backup tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to bup
Compare allSoftware that can replace bup for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
BorgBackup
A deduplicating archiver for Linux, macOS and BSD that makes daily backups cost almost nothing beyond the day’s changes.
BorgBackup adds authenticated AES encryption, a choice of compression levels and FUSE-mounted archives, and it backs up over SSH with no daemon under BSD-2-Clause.
restic
A single-executable backup program that makes encrypted, deduplicated snapshots and can send them almost anywhere.
restic adds client-side encryption, Windows support and backends such as S3-compatible storage, Backblaze B2, Azure and Google Cloud Storage from a single static binary.
Kopia
An encrypted snapshot backup tool with both a command line and a proper desktop app, pointed at whatever storage you choose.
Kopia adds end-to-end encryption, compression, Windows support and a desktop app that shares its repository format with the command line, though it is still pre-1.0.
Duplicacy
A deduplicating cloud backup tool whose lock-free design lets several machines share one storage bucket.
Duplicacy lets several machines share one deduplicated cloud bucket with client-side encryption, but its licence is not open source and the web interface is paid.
rustic
Create encrypted, deduplicated backups in restic-compatible repositories.
rustic creates encrypted, deduplicated backups in restic-compatible repositories and runs on Windows, but it is a younger project than restic.
Plakar
An open-source encrypted, deduplicating backup tool with snapshots and a web interface for browsing restores.
Plakar adds encryption and a web interface for browsing and restoring deduplicated snapshots, though setup is command-line oriented and the project is younger.
bup as an alternative
Listings that name bup as an alternative.
rdiff-backup
Reverse incremental backup that keeps the newest copy as a plain mirror.
bup stores deduplicated backups in git packfile format with fast incremental saves and handles large files like VM images well, and it is also command line only.
rsnapshot
Filesystem snapshot backups using rsync and hard links.
bup stores deduplicated backups in git packfile format with fast incremental saves, handling large files such as VM images well, from the command line.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
git-annex
A command-line tool that manages and syncs large files with git without storing their contents in git.
Vorta
A desktop front end for BorgBackup, so encrypted deduplicated backups stop being a cron job.
BorgBase
A hosted storage service for BorgBackup and Restic repositories with monitoring and append-only mode.
gickup
A tool that backs up Git repositories from GitHub, GitLab, Gitea and other hosts.
