The Dockstash alternative to Backrest
Backrest is a solid choice for what it does — open-source restic web ui. Where Dockstash differs is Docker-project awareness: it auto-detects your Compose stack, dumps each database the correct way from the running container, and drill-tests the restore. You run databases in Docker and want them dumped correctly (pg_dumpall, mysqldump --single-transaction, mongodump --oplog) and drill-verified — not copied live.
Backrest — Open-source restic web UI. Free / open-source (self-hosted, no paid tier).
How Dockstash compares to Backrest
| Capability | Dockstash | Backrest |
|---|---|---|
| Docker-aware database dumps | Auto-detects Postgres/MySQL/MariaDB/Mongo and dumps from the running container | None — backs up whatever host paths you point it at, including live DB files |
| Compose + reverse-proxy detection | Scans docker-compose.yml, .env, volumes, and Traefik/nginx config automatically | Manual — you list every path yourself |
| Automated restore-drill verification | Scheduled restore-to-scratch + diff vs source proves the backup restores | restic check verifies repo integrity only, not restorability |
| Failure alerting | Resend email alerts plus a dead-man’s-switch heartbeat catch silent stalls | Basic notification hooks; no heartbeat / dead-man’s-switch |
| Per-project billing for agencies | Per-project metering and multi-VPS fleet view | None (not a product goal) |
| Underlying backup engine | Restic (encrypted, deduplicated, incremental) — standard repos | Restic (same engine) — standard repos |
| Price | Free self-host tier; paid Pro/Business for scale + support | Free and open-source, no paid tier |
| Lock-in | Standard restic repos on your storage VPS — restore without Dockstash | Standard restic repos — restore without Backrest |
Where Backrest is strong
- Genuinely free and open-source (MIT) with no paid tier or per-project metering
- Mature, well-maintained restic scheduler with a clean web UI
- First-class restic features: multiple repos, retention policies, prune, check
- Single self-contained Go binary — trivial to deploy anywhere
- No account, no billing, no phone-home — fully local and private
Where Dockstash pulls ahead
- Not Docker-aware: backs up host paths, so it copies live database files instead of dumping them
- No database adapters — a live Postgres/MySQL heap file copied mid-write is unrestorable
- No Compose or reverse-proxy (Traefik/nginx) auto-detection — you author the path list by hand
- No automated restore-drill: a restic check verifies repo integrity, not that your data actually restores
- No per-project billing or multi-VPS fleet view for agencies
Who should switch to Dockstash
You run databases in Docker and want them dumped correctly (pg_dumpall, mysqldump --single-transaction, mongodump --oplog) and drill-verified — not copied live.
Backrest is the right choice when: Self-hosters who back up plain files and directories and are comfortable adding their own pre-backup database dump hooks.
Migrating from Backrest
Both tools write standard restic repositories, so migration is low-risk: point Dockstash at your existing restic repo and it reads your snapshots directly. The one change worth making is to stop backing up live database data directories and let Dockstash’s adapters dump them from the container instead. Your retention and prune policies map across one-to-one.
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Last updated: July 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is Dockstash a fork of Backrest?
No. Both use restic as the engine, but Dockstash is a separate MERN application built around Docker-project awareness: adapter-based database dumps, Compose/reverse-proxy detection, and automated restore drills. Backrest is a generic restic UI.
Backrest is free — why pay for Dockstash?
Dockstash has a free self-host tier too. You pay only when you want scheduling at scale, email alerts, more projects, or per-project billing for many client servers. The database-adapter and restore-drill correctness features are the reason to switch, not the price.
Can Backrest back up my Postgres container correctly?
Only if you add your own pre-backup hook that runs pg_dumpall and writes the dump to a path Backrest then backs up. Out of the box it copies the live data directory, which is not a consistent, restorable dump. Dockstash does the dump for you.
Will my existing restic repo work with Dockstash?
Yes. Dockstash reads standard restic repositories. Point it at the same repo and password and your Backrest-created snapshots are visible immediately.
Does Backrest verify that backups restore?
Backrest can run restic check, which validates repository integrity. It does not restore the data to a scratch location and diff it against the source. Dockstash runs that restore drill on a schedule so you know recovery works before you need it.