[rdiff-backup-users] Differences between rsnapshot and rdiff-backup

[sofeng]

I am trying to choose a backup utility for a small network and want to understand the differences between rsnapshot and rdiff-backup. I have attempted to summarize the differences below. Would you give me feedback about the accuracy of the summary and anything I have missed? I used the O'Reilly "Backup & Recovery" book as a reference.

Similar Features:
 * both use an rsync-like algorithm to transfer data (rsnapshot actually uses rsync; rdiff-backup uses the python librsync library)
 * both can push or pull over ssh
 * both use a simple copy of the source for the current backup

Written in:
rsnapshot is written in Perl; rdiff-backup is written in Python and C

Size:
rdiff-backup stores previous versions as compressed deltas to the current version similar to a version control system. rsnapshot uses actual files and hardlinks to save space. For small files, storage size is similar. For large files that change often, such as logfiles, databases, etc., rdiff-backup requires significantly less space for a given number of versions.

Speed:
rdiff-backup is slower than rsnapshot

Metadata:
rdiff-backup stores file metadata, such as ownership, permissions, and dates, separately. Question for list: Is this a significant advantage for rdiff-backup?

Transparency:
For rsnapshot, all versions of the backup are accessible as plain files. For rdiff-backup, only the current backup is accessible as plain files. Previous versions are stored as rdiff deltas.

Backup levels:
rsnapshot supports multiple levels of backup such as monthly, weekly, and daily. rdiff-backup can only remove versions earlier than a given date; it cannot remove versions in between two dates.

sofeng