bup

Initialize repository

$ bup init

$ bup index [/path/to/backup]

$ bup save -n [backup-name] [/path/to/backup]

$ bup ls

$ bup restore -C [/restore/path] [backup-name/latest/path]

bup command [options]

bup is a backup system based on git's packfile format. It provides very efficient storage through deduplication, splitting large files into chunks, and using rolling checksums to find duplicate data.
The tool is particularly effective for backing up large files with small changes.

init

Initialize bup repository

Index files for backup

Save backup

Restore files

List backups or files

Check repository integrity

Mount backups as filesystem

- Efficient deduplication
- Incremental backups
- Large file support
- Git-based storage
- Filesystem mounting
- Remote backups over SSH
- Fast indexing
- Minimal dependencies

Uses rolling checksums to identify duplicate chunks even when shifted within files. Very efficient for:
- Virtual machine images
- Large archives
- Database backups
- Version control repositories

Not encrypted by default. Repository can grow large without maintenance. Restore can be slow for many small files. Less mature than borg/restic. Documentation sometimes lacking. Not ideal for many tiny files.

bup was created by Avery Pennarun around 2010 to provide git-like backup with efficient deduplication for large files.

borg(1), restic(1), git(1)