Databasus vs pgBackRest

Databasus and pgBackRest are both powerful PostgreSQL backup tools, but they serve fundamentally different purposes and audiences. While Databasus provides an intuitive web interface for individuals, teams and enterprises of all sizes, pgBackRest is a specialized command-line tool designed primarily for DBAs managing very large databases (500GB+).

Quick comparison

Here's a quick overview of the key differences between Databasus and pgBackRest:

Feature	Databasus	pgBackRest
Target audience	Individuals, teams, enterprises	DBAs, large enterprises (~1TB+ DBs)
Backups management	✅ Multiple DBs	❌ Single DB only
Support of other DBs	✅ PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB	❌ PostgreSQL only
Interface	Web UI	Command-line, config files
Backup type	Logical (full backup)	Physical (file-level)
Recovery options	❌ No PITR (restore to any hour or day)	✅ WAL-based PITR (second-precise)
Parallel operations	✅ Parallel restores	✅ Parallel backup & restore
Incremental backups	Full backups with compression	Block-level incremental
Team features	✅ Workspaces, RBAC, audit logs	❌ Single user
Learning curve	Minimal	DBA expertise required
Installation	One-line script or Docker	Manual configuration required
Suitable for self-hosted DBs	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Suitable for cloud DBs	✅ Yes (RDS, Cloud SQL, Azure)	❌ No (requires filesystem access)

Target audience

The most significant difference between these tools is who they are designed for:

Databasus audience

Databasus is built for a broad audience, from individual developers to large enterprises:

Individual developers: Simple setup and intuitive UI make it easy to protect personal projects without deep PostgreSQL expertise.
Development teams: Workspaces, role-based access control and audit logs enable secure collaboration across team members.
Enterprises: Scales to meet enterprise needs with comprehensive security, multiple storage destinations and notification channels.

pgBackRest audience

pgBackRest is specifically designed for Database Administrators (DBAs) managing very large databases:

Large enterprises with ~1TB+ databases: Block-level incremental backups and parallel processing become essential at this scale.
Professional DBAs: Requires deep PostgreSQL knowledge, WAL archiving expertise and command-line proficiency.
Mission-critical systems: Where second-precise Point-in-Time Recovery is a strict requirement.

Backup approach

The tools use fundamentally different backup strategies, each with distinct advantages:

Databasus: Logical backups

Databasus uses pg_dump for logical backups, creating SQL representations of your data (in parallel mode):

Portable: Backups can be restored to different PostgreSQL versions or even different servers.
Selective restore: Restore specific tables or schemas without restoring the entire database.
Efficient compression: Uses zstd (level 5) compression, reducing backup sizes by 4-8x with only ~20% runtime overhead.
Read-only access: Only requires SELECT permissions, minimizing security risks.

pgBackRest: Physical backups

pgBackRest performs file-level (physical) backups of the PostgreSQL data directory:

Block-level incremental: Only changed blocks are backed up, reducing backup time and storage for very large databases.
WAL archiving: Continuous archiving of Write-Ahead Logs enables precise Point-in-Time Recovery.
Full, differential, incremental: Multiple backup strategies for different recovery scenarios.
Optimized for scale: Designed for databases where logical backups would take too long.

Recovery options

Both tools offer flexible recovery options, but with different granularity:

Databasus recovery

Restore to any hour or day: With hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or cron backup schedules, you can restore to any backup point you've configured.
One-click restore: Download and restore backups directly from the web interface.
Parallel restores: Utilize multiple CPU cores to speed up restoration of large backups.
Cross-version compatibility: Restore backups to different PostgreSQL versions when needed.

pgBackRest recovery

Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR): Restore to any specific second using WAL replay.
Parallel restore: Multi-threaded restoration for faster recovery of large databases.
Delta restore: Only restore changed files, reducing recovery time.
Standby creation: Create PostgreSQL replicas from backups.

Note: For most applications, restoring to the nearest hour or day (as Databasus provides) is sufficient. Second-precise PITR is typically only required for mission-critical financial or transactional systems where every transaction must be recoverable. Learn why Databasus doesn't support PITR →

Ease of use

The tools differ dramatically in their approach to user experience:

Databasus user experience

Web interface: Point-and-click configuration for all backup settings. No command-line required.
2-minute installation: One-line cURL script or simple Docker command gets you running immediately.
Visual monitoring: Dashboard shows backup status, health checks and history at a glance.
Built-in notifications: Configure Slack, Teams, Telegram, Email or webhook alerts directly in the UI.
No PostgreSQL expertise required: Designed for developers who want reliable backups without becoming database experts.

pgBackRest user experience

Command-line interface: All operations performed via terminal commands.
Configuration files: Requires manual editing of INI-style configuration files.
WAL archiving setup: Must configure PostgreSQL's archive_command and related settings.
Steep learning curve: Requires understanding of PostgreSQL internals, WAL mechanics and backup strategies.
DBA expertise expected: Documentation assumes familiarity with database administration concepts.

View Databasus installation guide →

Team features

For organizations with multiple team members managing backups:

Databasus team capabilities

Workspaces: Organize databases, notifiers and storages by project or team. Users only see workspaces they're invited to.
Role-based access control: Assign viewer, editor or admin permissions to control what each team member can do.
Audit logs: Track all system activities and changes. Essential for security compliance and accountability.
Shared notifications: Team channels receive backup status updates automatically.

pgBackRest team capabilities

pgBackRest is a command-line tool without built-in team features:

No user management or access control
No audit logging of operations
Team coordination requires external tools and processes
Access controlled via OS-level permissions on configuration files

Learn more about Databasus access management →

Security

Both tools provide robust security features:

Databasus security

AES-256-GCM encryption: All passwords, tokens and credentials are encrypted. The encryption key is stored separately from the database.
Unique backup encryption: Each backup file is encrypted with a unique key derived from master key, backup ID and random salt.
Read-only database access: Enforces SELECT permissions only, preventing data corruption even if compromised.

pgBackRest security

Repository encryption: Backup repositories can be encrypted with AES-256.
TLS/SSH transport: Secure communication for remote operations.
Checksum verification: Validates backup integrity during creation and restore.

Learn more about Databasus security →

Storage options

Both tools support multiple storage destinations, with Databasus offering more consumer-friendly options:

Databasus storage

Local storage
Amazon S3 and S3-compatible services
Google Drive
Cloudflare R2
Azure Blob Storage
NAS (Network-attached storage)
Dropbox

pgBackRest storage

Local storage (POSIX, CIFS)
Amazon S3 and S3-compatible services
Cloudflare R2 (S3-compatible)
Azure Blob Storage
NAS (Network-attached storage)
Google Cloud Storage
SFTP

View all Databasus storage options →

Notifications

Staying informed about backup status:

Databasus notifications

Built-in support for multiple notification channels:

Slack
Discord
Telegram
Microsoft Teams
Email
Webhooks

pgBackRest notifications

pgBackRest does not have built-in notification support. Notifications require:

Custom scripting around backup commands
External monitoring tools integration
Manual log parsing and alerting setup

View all Databasus notification channels →

Conclusion

Databasus and pgBackRest serve different needs in the PostgreSQL backup ecosystem. The right choice depends on your database size, team structure and technical requirements.

Choose Databasus if:

You're an individual developer, team or enterprise looking for an intuitive backup solution
You prefer a web interface over command-line tools
You need team collaboration features (workspaces, RBAC, audit logs)
You want built-in notifications to Slack, Teams, Telegram etc.
Restoring to any hour or day meets your recovery requirements
You want quick setup with minimal PostgreSQL expertise
You use cloud-managed databases (AWS RDS, Google Cloud SQL, Azure) or self-hosted PostgreSQL

Choose pgBackRest if:

You're a DBA managing large self-hosted databases (~1TB+)
You require second-precise Point-in-Time Recovery for mission-critical systems
Block-level incremental backups are essential for your scale
You're comfortable with command-line tools and PostgreSQL internals
Your organization has dedicated DBA expertise available
You use self-hosted PostgreSQL databases (not cloud-managed)

For most use cases, from individual projects to production databases and to enterprise deployments, Databasus provides the right balance of power and usability — and works seamlessly with both self-hosted and cloud-managed databases. Databasus is suitable for comprehensive backup management, not just backups.

pgBackRest remains the specialized choice for DBAs managing very large self-hosted databases where its advanced features become necessary, or for teams building database platforms that need to provide PITR capabilities to their customers.