7,277 (ungh); the repository page displayed 7.4k stars · GPL-3.0 · v1.14.1 (2026-07-12, /releases/latest and ungh agree) · Track this in Scout
A web screen that schedules restic backups, applies retention rules and restores single files by browsing a snapshot.
▶Repo detailsthe review · specs · pros & cons · install
What it is
Backrest is a Go program that runs restic on a schedule and keeps the schedule, the repository list and the retention rules in one place. It ships as a single binary with restic as its only dependency, and it is reached in a browser on port 9898.
What it is good for. The situation where backups exist but nobody has ever tested a restore, because restoring means reading the manual again under pressure. It is also for anyone who has put off backups entirely because the good tools are all command-line tools.
- Restoring is browsable. You open a snapshot, find the file, and download it — which is the half of backup that usually goes untested.
- It supports the destinations restic supports, including S3-compatible storage, Azure, Backblaze B2 and a plain folder, so the copy can live off the machine.
- Backups are encrypted and de-duplicated by restic itself, so a daily copy of 200 GB does not cost 200 GB every day.
- GPL-3.0. Fine to run; a problem if you wanted to build it into a closed product you distribute.
- It is a screen on top of restic, not a replacement, so restic's rules still apply. Lose the repository password and every backup is unreadable for good.
- The web page has no authentication switched on by default. Do not expose port 9898 to the open internet before setting a password.
restic/restic35,949 stars, the backup program underneath this one, covered in Edition 8. Everything Backrest does, restic does from a terminal.
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rustic-rs/rustic3,274 stars, covered in Edition 21; a rewrite of restic in Rust that can read the same backup repositories.
Track this in Scout- duplicati/duplicati
14,879 stars, an older backup program that has always had a web interface, with wider destination support and a heavier .NET install.
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docker run -d --name backrest \ -v "$PWD/backrest-config:/config" \ -v "$PWD/backrest-cache:/cache" \ -v /path/to/the/files/you/want/copied:/userdata:ro \ -v /path/to/where/backups/go:/repos \ -p 9898:9898 \ ghcr.io/garethgeorge/backrest:latest
