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SPECIFICTION
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rsnapshot

rsnapshot.org

Free plan macOSLinuxSelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.2 #52 of 151 in Backup software

Spec sheet

Purpose
rsnapshot is a filesystem snapshot utility based on rsync for periodic backups of local machines and remote machines over SSH.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Intended users
The HOWTO says reasonably good system-administration skills will help with installation and configuration.Read 12 Oct 2026 · github.com
Platforms
The project says it should work on reasonably modern UNIX-compatible operating systems and lists Linux, BSD systems, Solaris, Mac OS X, and IRIX among tested platforms.Read 12 Oct 2026 · github.com
Free plan
YesRead 19 Sep 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Security
Remote filesystem snapshots can be taken over SSH.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Support
The project README directs questions and general discussion to its mailing list.Read 12 Oct 2026 · github.com
Founded
2003Read 28 Sep 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Automation
Backups can run automatically after setup, with scheduling examples using cron in the project README.Read 12 Oct 2026 · github.com
Backup scope
fileRead 19 Sep 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Computer backup
YesRead 19 Sep 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Dependencies
The current project README says rsnapshot is written in Perl with no module dependencies and requires rsync.Read 12 Oct 2026 · github.com
Downloads
The download page says major distributions package rsnapshot and links to source releases and GitHub releases.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Implementation
The program is written entirely in Perl and has no module dependencies.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
License and warranty
The project describes rsnapshot as free software and says it comes with absolutely no warranty.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
macOS support
The project README lists Mac OS X among operating systems on which rsnapshot has been tested successfully.Read 12 Oct 2026 · github.com
Notable limitation
The README warns that with link_dest enabled, an unavailable remote host can leave no latest backup for that machine and require a full resync when it returns.Read 12 Oct 2026 · github.com
Remote destination limit
The FAQ states that a remote snapshot root over SSH is unsupported, though an NFS-mounted remote snapshot root can be used.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Restore
Users who own files can restore them without involving the root user.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Restore modes
fileRead 19 Sep 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Retention
The number of snapshots retained is configurable, so disk use does not continuously grow.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Server backup
YesRead 19 Sep 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Storage efficiency
It uses hard links when possible to reduce the disk space required for snapshots.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Transport security
The FAQ warns that rsync daemon protocol is unencrypted when used over an untrusted network.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org
Windows backups
The FAQ describes backing up Windows machines from a Linux rsnapshot host using an SSH and rsync server on Windows.Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org

Plans and prices

rsnapshot Free Free software · self-hosted filesystem backup utility Read 12 Oct 2026 · rsnapshot.org

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