bup review
A command-line backup tool for deduplicated file backups and SSH-based restores.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
bup is an open-source, command-line backup system for technical users who want incremental file backups with deduplication. It stores backup data in Git-format packfiles and uses rolling checksums to split files into chunks, helping avoid storing repeated data across and within files. Its scope is file and directory backup and restoration, including data such as virtual-machine images; it is not positioned here as a broader device-management or business backup service.
The standout feature is its storage and recovery workflow. bup can save local files or send backups to remote repositories over SSH, restore files and directories with metadata handling, and mount repositories through FUSE. It also provides repository inspection and integrity checks, with repair capabilities and optional PAR2 recovery blocks for damaged packfiles. These tools give technically capable operators ways to verify repository health and recover data, but the command-line and repository-oriented model may be more involved than a graphical backup utility.
bup is described as operating on Linux and macOS, and on Windows through Cygwin or WSL; self-hosted operation aligns with its repository-based approach. It can import backups from duplicity, rdiff-backup, and rsnapshot. Its open-source distribution avoids a commercial plan structure, while requiring users to operate the software and its repositories themselves. Choose bup if file-level scope, deduplication, SSH transfer, and direct control over repositories matter. Look elsewhere if you need a less technical setup or backup coverage beyond files and directories.
bup pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Deduplicates data across and within files using rolling-checksum chunking
- Supports remote backups and restores over SSH
- Checks and repairs repositories, with optional PAR2 recovery blocks
- Where it doesn't
- Command-line, self-hosted operation calls for technical setup
- Backup and restore scope is file-based
- FUSE repository mounting depends on a compatible environment
bup fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update