#7 of 16 open-source backup tools · Updated October 2026

XtraBackup review 2026

Percona XtraBackup · Vendor-backed reference tool

XtraBackup ranks #7 of 16 open-source backup tools in the Open-Source Backup Ledger 2026, with a Ledger Index of 61.3 out of 100. XtraBackup is the standard hot-backup tool for MySQL and the engine behind Percona's operators.

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Scores

Ledger Index

61.3/100

#7 of 16

Capability

59.4/100

Credibility

20.5/25

Sustainability risk

8.5/25

lower is better

Lock-in

2.5/25

lower is better

AI delivery

1/20

Source: Open-Source Backup Ledger 2026, edition 2026-10-02. How each score works: methodology.

Pros

Databases and applications4.5/5
Recovery4/5
Storage efficiency and targets4/5
Replication and DR4/5

Cons

Virtual and physical servers0.5/5
New-platform support (VMware exit)0.5/5
Long-term retention and tape1.5/5

What the Ledger says

XtraBackup is the standard hot-backup tool for MySQL and the engine behind Percona's operators. Its direction follows MySQL's releases, and its sustainability rests on Percona.

No AI features.

Capability by area

Virtual and physical servers

0.5/5

Databases and applications

4.5/5

Recovery

4/5

Cyber resilience

3/5

Storage efficiency and targets

4/5

Long-term retention and tape

1.5/5

Replication and DR

4/5

Security and compliance

3.5/5

New-platform support (VMware exit)

0.5/5

Management at scale and automation

3/5

Buying, lock-in and release record

Buying and licence (sustainability risk)(lower is better)

Maintainer concentration3: Percona engineers and Oracle code syncs
Backer health2: Percona
Licence-change risk1.5: GPLv2 inherited from MySQL
Abandonment signs0.5: Active
Security response1.5: Percona security process

Technical lock-in(lower is better)

Formats0.5: Prepared backups are standard MySQL data directories
Export path0.5: Standard data files
Stack coupling0.5: Single binary
Hardware / cloud coupling0: Any local or cloud target
Skills and tooling coupling1: MySQL skills

Release credibility

Cadence4.5: 5 to 8 releases a year
Roadmap transparency3.5: GitHub plus Jira; issues disabled on GitHub
Say-do4: 4 of 4 shipped; MySQL 9.x support took 21 months
Velocity4: Tracks every MySQL release
Lifecycle stability4.5: LTS and innovation tracks

Partners and services

Paid support4.5: Percona 24/7
Consultants and partners4: Supported by MySQL consultancies everywhere
Documentation4: Complete documentation
Community and packaging3.5: Percona repositories; default MySQL hot-backup tool

Alternatives to XtraBackup

WAL-G

61.3/100

#6 · Multi-company collective

Barman

62.6/100

#5 · Vendor-backed reference tool

pgBackRest

63.9/100

#4 · Single-maintainer reference tool

Kopia

58.3/100

#8 · Vendor-sponsored engine

Questions about XtraBackup

Is XtraBackup any good?

XtraBackup ranks #7 of 16 open-source backup tools in the Open-Source Backup Ledger 2026, with a Ledger Index of 61.3 out of 100. Its strongest areas are databases and applications, recovery, storage efficiency and targets. Its weakest are virtual and physical servers, new-platform support (vmware exit), long-term retention and tape.

What are the best alternatives to XtraBackup?

The closest by Ledger Index are WAL-G (61.3), Barman (62.6), pgBackRest (63.9), Kopia (58.3).

How is XtraBackup licensed and sold?

Percona engineers and Oracle code syncs.

How much lock-in does XtraBackup bring?

XtraBackup scores 2.5 out of 25 on technical lock-in (lower is better). Export path: Standard data files.

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