BackupPC: Open-Source Backup Ledger 2026
BackupPC still does what it always did: agentless file backup of many machines into a deduplicated pool with a web console.
Part of the Open-Source Backup Ledger (edition 2026-10-02). How the scores work: methodology.
Snapshot
- Kind: Backup platform
- Licence: GPLv3
- Backer: None; volunteer maintainer since 2025
- Paid edition or support: None
- Latest release: 4.4.0 stable (2020-06-20); 4.4.1rc1 (2025-11-13)
- Next signal: 4.4.1 final; Perl 5.38/5.40 and GCC 14 fixes; no feature work planned
- Archetype: Revived, low velocity
- Evidence grade: A. GitHub API and Debian sources.
Scorecard
| Dimension | Score | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Capability today | 38.0 / 100 | higher is better |
| Momentum since end of 2022 | +0.0 points | higher is better |
| Credibility | 8.5 / 25 | higher is better |
| Sustainability risk | 17.0 / 25 | lower is better |
| Technical lock-in | 8.0 / 25 | lower is better |
| Support and ecosystem | 7.0 / 20 | higher is better |
| AI leverage | 0.5 / 20 | higher is better |
| Ledger Index | 33.9 / 100 | balanced weights |
Capability by domain
Scores 0 to 5 against fixed anchors; total is weighted to 100.
| Domain (weight) | 2016 | 2019 | 2022 | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual and physical servers (12) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Databases and applications (12) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Recovery (14) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Cyber resilience (14) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Storage efficiency and targets (10) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Long-term retention and tape (6) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Replication and DR (10) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Security and compliance (8) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| New-platform support (VMware exit) (8) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Management at scale and automation (6) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Total / 100 | 38.0 | 38.0 | 38.0 | 38.0 |
Year by year: 2016: 38.0 · 2017: 38.0 · 2018: 38.0 · 2019: 38.0 · 2020: 38.0 · 2021: 38.0 · 2022: 38.0 · 2023: 38.0 · 2024: 38.0 · 2025: 38.0 · 2026: 38.0
What moved the score
| Year | Domain | Change | Points | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | No change since the first scored year |
Direction, 2023 to 2026
Each item carries one theme and one driver (V vision, C customer need, M market window, U upstream, P portfolio).
| Date | Item | Theme | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 4.4.1rc1: Perl 5.38/5.40 compatibility | D12 Packaging and licensing | U |
| 2026 | 4.4.1 final release (pending) | D12 Packaging and licensing | C |
- Centre of gravity: Packaging and licensing (2)
- Driver mix: Vision 0%, Customer need 50%, Market window 0%, Upstream 50%, Portfolio 0%
Credibility: 8.5 / 25
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | 1 | No stable release since June 2020 |
| Roadmap transparency | 2.5 | Public GitHub |
| Say-do | 2 | 4 items: 1 shipped, 1 partial, 1 pending, 1 dropped |
| Velocity | 1 | 0 commits in 2023, 3 in 2026 |
| Lifecycle stability | 2 | Kept buildable mainly by distribution maintainers |
Say-do record, 2023 to 2026: 4 items: Perl compatibility fixes shipped in 4.4.1rc1; 4.4.1 itself is partial (rc only, 57 months after first proposed); the final release is pending; a modern web UI was dropped.
Sustainability risk: 17.0 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Maintainer concentration | 4.5 | One volunteer maintainer |
| Backer health | 4 | No organisation behind it |
| Licence-change risk | 1 | GPLv3 with distributed copyright |
| Abandonment signs | 4 | No stable release in six years; issues median age 1,597 days |
| Security response | 3.5 | No security process |
Project health: Revived from near-abandonment: zero commits in 2023, new volunteer maintainer (Ged Haywood) published 4.4.1rc1 in November 2025. 1,626 stars; 51 open issues with a median age of 1,597 days.
Technical lock-in: 8.0 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Formats | 2.5 | Own content-addressed pool format |
| Export path | 1.5 | BackupPC_tarCreate extracts files |
| Stack coupling | 1.5 | Perl daemon with Apache CGI |
| Hardware / cloud coupling | 0 | Local POSIX filesystem |
| Skills and tooling coupling | 2.5 | Perl and legacy skills |
Support and ecosystem: 7.0 / 20
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Paid support | 0.5 | None |
| Consultants and partners | 1 | Informal administrators only |
| Documentation | 2.5 | Manual is complete but dated |
| Community and packaging | 3 | Packaged in Debian and others; 1.6k stars |
AI leverage: 0.5 / 20
| Strand | Today | Latest step |
|---|---|---|
| AI for protection / protecting AI | 0 | none |
| AI platform stack | 0 | none |
| AI-assisted operations | 0 | none |
| Agent openness | 0.5 | 2016: Command line only |
No AI features.
Reading
BackupPC still does what it always did: agentless file backup of many machines into a deduplicated pool with a web console. It has had no stable release since 2020, survives on one volunteer, and plans no new features. Fine where it already runs; not a choice for new enterprise deployments.
Open questions and evidence caveats
- The 4.4.1 final release is pending; check the maintainer is still active before relying on it.
Related reading
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