KubeSphere Backup vs Velero

KubeSphere Backup is a cloud disaster-recovery service for hybrid-cloud Kubernetes environments. It backs up and recovers data across clusters, clouds, and Kubernetes versions, and supports different Kubernetes distributions and S3-standard object storage. CSI snapshot backup covers stateful applications such as MySQL, MongoDB, and Redis. Users create and run data-protection tasks through a web console without needing expertise in Kubernetes backup tools such as Velero. Listed uses include recovery from hardware or system failures, configuration errors, and improper operations, as well as multi-cluster protection and moving application data between clouds. The free plan covers 2 protected applications, 3 days of retention, and a 10 GB hosted repository. Basic costs $65 a month and includes 100 protected applications, 14 days of retention, and 100 GB of hosted repository. Direct cluster connection requires the Kubernetes API server address in kubeconfig to be reachable over the public network; agent connection is an alternative. The repository access domain must be compatible with AWS S3 standards. For Copy Volumes backups, the vendor advises disconnecting the database beforehand to preserve data consistency and integrity.

Velero is an open-source tool for backing up and restoring Kubernetes resources and persistent volumes, recovering from data loss, and moving resources between clusters. Backups can cover an entire cluster or selected resources chosen by namespace or label. Recurring schedules and pre- and post-backup hooks support repeatable operations. Velero can restore after data loss and migrate resources, including replication from production to development or test clusters. Its server runs on Kubernetes, while a command-line client runs locally. Storage integrations include maintainer-supported plugins for AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and VMware vSphere, plus community-maintained options. The plugin architecture also permits custom storage integrations and backup or restore behavior. Velero can be used in cloud or on-premises environments with object storage and, optionally, supported block storage. Installation requires access to a Kubernetes cluster, kubectl, a compatible object storage provider, and at least one plugin. File system backup is not installed by default. The project provides community support through GitHub and Kubernetes Slack.