pgBackRest: Open-Source Backup Ledger 2026

Part of the Open-Source Backup Ledger (edition 2026-10-02). How the scores work: methodology.

Snapshot

Kind: Database backup tool
Licence: MIT
Backer: Crunchy Data (lead maintainer David Steele); current ownership of Crunchy Data not verified in this pass
Paid edition or support: Crunchy Data 24/7 support; many PostgreSQL consultancies
Latest release: 2.59.2, 2026-09-27
Next signal: 2.60; PostgreSQL 18/19 support; further block-incremental tuning
Archetype: Single-maintainer reference tool
Evidence grade: A. Release dates verified against GitHub.

Scope of the scores: PostgreSQL only. It scores near zero in the server and hypervisor domains by design; compare it with other database tools.

Scorecard

Dimension	Score	Direction
Capability today	63.4 / 100	higher is better
Momentum since end of 2022	+0.0 points	higher is better
Credibility	22.5 / 25	higher is better
Sustainability risk	9.5 / 25	lower is better
Technical lock-in	2.5 / 25	lower is better
Support and ecosystem	16.0 / 20	higher is better
AI leverage	1.0 / 20	higher is better
Ledger Index	63.9 / 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)	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
Databases and applications (12)	4	4.5	4.5	4.5
Recovery (14)	3.5	4	4	4
Cyber resilience (14)	2.5	2.5	3.5	3.5
Storage efficiency and targets (10)	3	3.5	4	4
Long-term retention and tape (6)	3	3	3	3
Replication and DR (10)	3	3.5	4	4
Security and compliance (8)	2.5	3.5	4	4
New-platform support (VMware exit) (8)	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
Management at scale and automation (6)	2.5	2.5	3	3
Total / 100	51.0	57.2	63.4	63.4

Year by year: 2016: 51.0 · 2017: 51.0 · 2018: 51.0 · 2019: 57.2 · 2020: 58.2 · 2021: 58.2 · 2022: 63.4 · 2023: 63.4 · 2024: 63.4 · 2025: 63.4 · 2026: 63.4

What moved the score

Year	Domain	Change	Points	Trigger
2019	Databases and applications	4 → 4.5	+1.2	Checksum validation, standby backups, delta restore
2019	Recovery	3.5 → 4	+1.4	Delta restore up to 10 times faster
2019	Replication and DR	3 → 3.5	+1.0	Standby seeding from backup
2019	Security and compliance	2.5 → 3.5	+1.6	TLS server mode with certificate auth
2019	Storage efficiency and targets	3 → 3.5	+1.0	LZ4 and zstd
2020	Storage efficiency and targets	3.5 → 4	+1.0	Native GCS and Azure
2022	Cyber resilience	2.5 → 3.5	+2.8	S3 Object Lock; integrity checks
2022	Management at scale and automation	2.5 → 3	+0.6	Prometheus exporter, operator integration
2022	Replication and DR	3.5 → 4	+1.0	Simultaneous writes to several repositories
2022	Security and compliance	3.5 → 4	+0.8	Cloud IAM roles

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
2023-09	2.48: PostgreSQL 16 support	D2 Databases and applications	U
2024-07	2.53: block-level incremental backup	D2 Databases and applications	C
2024-09	2.54: PostgreSQL 17 support	D2 Databases and applications	U
2026-09	2.59.2: PostgreSQL 19 preview, S3 fix	D2 Databases and applications	U

Centre of gravity: Databases and applications (4)
Driver mix: Vision 0%, Customer need 25%, Market window 0%, Upstream 75%, Portfolio 0%

Credibility: 22.5 / 25

Criterion	Score	Basis
Cadence	5	8 to 13 releases a year
Roadmap transparency	4	Public issues; no formal roadmap
Say-do	4.5	5 of 5 shipped within 2 to 5 months
Velocity	4.5	Every PostgreSQL release supported promptly
Lifecycle stability	4.5	Broad PostgreSQL version support, stable upgrades

Say-do record, 2023 to 2026: 5 items since 2023, all shipped within 2 to 5 months, including block-level incremental backup for PostgreSQL 17.

Sustainability risk: 9.5 / 25 (lower is better)

Criterion	Score	Basis
Maintainer concentration	4.5	Lead maintainer writes 86 to 97% of commits
Backer health	2	Funded by Crunchy Data
Licence-change risk	1	MIT
Abandonment signs	0.5	Very active
Security response	1.5	Active fixes

Project health: 4,415 stars; 19 open issues (median 219 days), 12 open PRs (39 days). Releases every month or two; very high dependence on one maintainer.

Technical lock-in: 2.5 / 25 (lower is better)

Criterion	Score	Basis
Formats	0.5	Restores a standard PostgreSQL data directory
Export path	0.5	Standard data files
Stack coupling	0.5	Single C binary
Hardware / cloud coupling	0	Any POSIX or cloud target
Skills and tooling coupling	1	PostgreSQL skills

Support and ecosystem: 16 / 20

Criterion	Score	Basis
Paid support	4	Crunchy Data 24/7
Consultants and partners	4	Supported by PostgreSQL consultancies worldwide
Documentation	4	Detailed user guide
Community and packaging	4	In PGDG repositories; default recommendation in the community

AI leverage: 1 / 20

Strand	Today	Latest step
AI for protection / protecting AI	0	none
AI platform stack	0	none
AI-assisted operations	0	none
Agent openness	1	2016: JSON output

No AI features.

Reading

pgBackRest is the reference open-source backup tool for PostgreSQL: parallel, incremental, encrypted, multi-repository and fast to adopt new PostgreSQL versions. Its one real risk is that a single maintainer writes almost all of it.

Open questions and evidence caveats

Crunchy Data's current ownership was not verified in this pass.
Bus factor close to one.