Database backups are critical for any production environment. When it comes to PostgreSQL, choosing the right backup tool can mean the difference between a quick recovery and hours of downtime. This article explores the top 10 PostgreSQL backup tools in 2026, ranked by their GitHub popularity and community adoption. In the article listed open source tools only which can be self hosted or used without commercial licenses. 1. Databasus (4.6k stars) Databasus is a modern, user-friendly PostgreSQL backup solution that focuses on simplicity and automation. It provides a clean web interface for managing backups, scheduling and monitoring. This project received large popularity in 2025 and now becoming an industry standard for PostgreSQL ecosystem. Written in Go. Website: https://databasus.com https://databasus.com GitHub: https://github.com/databasus/databasus https://github.com/databasus/databasus Key features: Key features: Scheduled PostgreSQL backups (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and cron) Supported 25+ storage destinations (local, S3, FTP, SFTP, Google Drive, Dropbox, rclone, etc.) Built-in encryption for secure backup storage Notifications via email, webhook, Slack, Telegram, etc. in case of backup success or failure Users management with role-based access control and audit logs (for teams) Parallel backup and build-in compression Suitable both for self-hosted and cloud-hosted PostgreSQL databases Scheduled PostgreSQL backups (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and cron) Supported 25+ storage destinations (local, S3, FTP, SFTP, Google Drive, Dropbox, rclone, etc.) Built-in encryption for secure backup storage Notifications via email, webhook, Slack, Telegram, etc. in case of backup success or failure Users management with role-based access control and audit logs (for teams) Parallel backup and build-in compression Suitable both for self-hosted and cloud-hosted PostgreSQL databases Best for: Individuals, teamd and companies looking for an all-in-one solution with a modern interface and minimal configuration. Ideal for organizations that want to manage backups across multiple databases from a single platform. Best for: 2. WAL-G (3.9k stars) WAL-G is an archival restoration tool for PostgreSQL that extends the functionality of WAL-E. Written in Go, it offers better performance and more features than its predecessor. Now developed inside Microsoft. Website: https://wal-g.readthedocs.io/ https://wal-g.readthedocs.io/ GitHub: https://github.com/wal-g/wal-g https://github.com/wal-g/wal-g Key features: Key features: Incremental backups using PostgreSQL WAL files Support for multiple cloud storage providers (AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure) Delta backups for reduced storage costs Compression support (LZ4, LZMA, Brotli) Parallel upload and download capabilities Support for PostgreSQL, MySQL and MongoDB Point-in-time recovery Backup verification and testing Incremental backups using PostgreSQL WAL files Support for multiple cloud storage providers (AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure) Delta backups for reduced storage costs Compression support (LZ4, LZMA, Brotli) Parallel upload and download capabilities Support for PostgreSQL, MySQL and MongoDB Point-in-time recovery Backup verification and testing Best for: Organizations running large PostgreSQL databases in cloud environments who need efficient incremental backups with minimal storage overhead. Best for: 3. pgBackRest (3.5k stars) pgBackRest is a reliable backup and restore solution designed specifically for PostgreSQL. It's known for its performance and robustness in enterprise environments. Website: https://pgbackrest.org https://pgbackrest.org GitHub: https://github.com/pgbackrest/pgbackrest https://github.com/pgbackrest/pgbackrest Key features: Key features: Full, incremental and differential backups Parallel backup and restore for improved performance Local or remote backup storage Support for multiple repositories Backup encryption and compression Point-in-time recovery Backup retention policies Detailed logging and monitoring PostgreSQL version 8.3 through 18+ support Full, incremental and differential backups Parallel backup and restore for improved performance Local or remote backup storage Support for multiple repositories Backup encryption and compression Point-in-time recovery Backup retention policies Detailed logging and monitoring PostgreSQL version 8.3 through 18+ support Best for: Enterprise environments requiring reliable, high-performance backups with strong data integrity guarantees. Particularly suited for large databases where backup speed matters. Best for: 4. WAL-E (3.5k stars) WAL-E is one of the original continuous archiving solutions for PostgreSQL. While newer tools like WAL-G have emerged, WAL-E remains popular due to its stability and proven track record. GitHub: https://github.com/wal-e/wal-e https://github.com/wal-e/wal-e Key features: Key features: Continuous archiving to cloud storage Support for AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage Base backups and WAL segment archiving GPG encryption support Compression using LZOP Point-in-time recovery Simple command-line interface Well-documented and battle-tested Continuous archiving to cloud storage Support for AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage Base backups and WAL segment archiving GPG encryption support Compression using LZOP Point-in-time recovery Simple command-line interface Well-documented and battle-tested Best for: Organizations seeking a stable, proven solution with extensive production history. Good choice for teams already familiar with WAL-E's workflow. Best for: 5. Barman (2.7k stars) Barman (Backup and Recovery Manager) is an open-source administration tool for disaster recovery of PostgreSQL servers. Developed by EnterpriseDB, it's designed for enterprise-grade backup management. Website: https://pgbarman.org https://pgbarman.org GitHub: https://github.com/EnterpriseDB/barman https://github.com/EnterpriseDB/barman Key features: Key features: Remote backup management for multiple PostgreSQL servers Full and incremental backup support Point-in-time recovery Retention policies for automatic backup cleanup Backup catalog and reporting Integration with streaming replication Backup compression and deduplication Geographic redundancy support Cloud storage integration Remote backup management for multiple PostgreSQL servers Full and incremental backup support Point-in-time recovery Retention policies for automatic backup cleanup Backup catalog and reporting Integration with streaming replication Backup compression and deduplication Geographic redundancy support Cloud storage integration Best for: Organizations managing multiple PostgreSQL instances who need centralized backup management with enterprise-level features and support. Best for: 6. pgBackWeb (2.5k stars) pgBackWeb is a modern, self-hosted web interface for managing PostgreSQL backups. It emphasizes ease of use and provides a clean, intuitive dashboard. GitHub: https://github.com/eduardolat/pgbackweb https://github.com/eduardolat/pgbackweb Key features: Key features: Simple web interface for backup management Scheduled backups with cron-like syntax Support for multiple PostgreSQL databases Webhook notifications on backup success or failure Backup restoration through the web interface Docker deployment support Backup retention policies S3-compatible storage backends Simple web interface for backup management Scheduled backups with cron-like syntax Support for multiple PostgreSQL databases Webhook notifications on backup success or failure Backup restoration through the web interface Docker deployment support Backup retention policies S3-compatible storage backends Best for: Small to medium-sized teams who want a straightforward backup solution with a modern web interface. Perfect for developers who prefer GUI over command-line tools. Best for: 7. PGHoard (1.4k stars) PGHoard is a PostgreSQL backup daemon and restore tool developed by Aiven. It focuses on cloud-native backup strategies and integrates well with modern cloud infrastructure. Website: https://aiven-open.github.io/pghoard/ https://aiven-open.github.io/pghoard/ GitHub: https://github.com/Aiven-Open/pghoard https://github.com/Aiven-Open/pghoard Key features: Key features: Continuous WAL archiving Periodic basebackup creation Cloud storage support (AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure) Backup compression and encryption Automatic retention management Prometheus metrics for monitoring Support for object storage Efficient storage with delta backups JSON-based configuration Continuous WAL archiving Periodic basebackup creation Cloud storage support (AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure) Backup compression and encryption Automatic retention management Prometheus metrics for monitoring Support for object storage Efficient storage with delta backups JSON-based configuration Best for: Cloud-native applications running on Kubernetes or container platforms. Excellent choice for teams already using Aiven services or Prometheus monitoring. Best for: 8. docker-postgres-backup-local (1.1k stars) This tool provides automated backup solutions specifically designed for PostgreSQL databases running in Docker containers. It's simple, lightweight and purpose-built for containerized environments. GitHub: https://github.com/prodrigestivill/docker-postgres-backup-local https://github.com/prodrigestivill/docker-postgres-backup-local Key features: Key features: Docker-based deployment Scheduled backups using cron Support for multiple PostgreSQL versions Automatic backup compression Backup retention and cleanup Email notifications via SMTP Support for custom backup commands Minimal resource footprint Easy integration with Docker Compose Docker-based deployment Scheduled backups using cron Support for multiple PostgreSQL versions Automatic backup compression Backup retention and cleanup Email notifications via SMTP Support for custom backup commands Minimal resource footprint Easy integration with Docker Compose Best for: Development and production environments using Docker. Perfect for teams running PostgreSQL in containers who want a plug-and-play backup solution. Best for: 9. pg_probackup (776 stars) pg_probackup is a backup and recovery manager for PostgreSQL developed by Postgres Professional. It provides enterprise-grade features with a focus on performance and reliability. Website: https://postgrespro.github.io/pg_probackup/ https://postgrespro.github.io/pg_probackup/ GitHub: https://github.com/postgrespro/pg_probackup https://github.com/postgrespro/pg_probackup Key features: Key features: Full, incremental and differential backups Backup validation and verification Backup merging to optimize storage Parallel backup and restore Remote backup mode Point-in-time recovery Support for external directories Backup catalog management Compression support (zlib, pglz, zstd) Checksum verification Full, incremental and differential backups Backup validation and verification Backup merging to optimize storage Parallel backup and restore Remote backup mode Point-in-time recovery Support for external directories Backup catalog management Compression support (zlib, pglz, zstd) Checksum verification Best for: Organizations requiring advanced backup features like backup merging and validation. Good fit for enterprise PostgreSQL deployments with strict recovery objectives. Best for: 10. postgres-backup-s3 (659 stars) A straightforward Docker image for backing up PostgreSQL databases to AWS S3. It's designed for simplicity and focuses on doing one thing well. GitHub: https://github.com/eeshugerman/postgres-backup-s3 https://github.com/eeshugerman/postgres-backup-s3 Key features: Key features: Simple Docker-based deployment Direct backup to AWS S3 Scheduled backups with cron Support for multiple databases Backup encryption options S3 lifecycle policy integration Minimal configuration required Automatic backup naming with timestamps Support for custom pg_dump options Small Docker image size Simple Docker-based deployment Direct backup to AWS S3 Scheduled backups with cron Support for multiple databases Backup encryption options S3 lifecycle policy integration Minimal configuration required Automatic backup naming with timestamps Support for custom pg_dump options Small Docker image size Best for: Teams using AWS infrastructure who want a simple, no-frills backup solution. Ideal for smaller deployments where simplicity is more important than advanced features. Best for: Choosing the right backup tool Selecting the right PostgreSQL backup tool depends on your specific needs: For enterprise environments with multiple databases and strict SLAs, consider Databasus, Barman or pgBackWeb. These tools offer ability to manage backups for multiple databases from a single platform. For enterprise environments For cloud-native deployments, WAL-G, PGHoard or Databasus provide excellent integration with cloud storage and modern infrastructure patterns. For cloud-native deployments For Docker environments, docker-postgres-backup-local or postgres-backup-s3 offer simple, containerized solutions that integrate seamlessly with your existing Docker setup. For Docker environments For teams prioritizing user experience, Databasus and pgBackWeb provide modern web interfaces that make backup management accessible to team members who prefer GUIs over command-line tools. For teams prioritizing user experience For budget-conscious operations, tools like WAL-G, pgBackRest and Databasus offer excellent features without licensing costs while maintaining strong community support. For budget-conscious operations Conclusion The PostgreSQL backup landscape in 2026 offers diverse solutions for every use case. Whether you're running a single database or managing a fleet of PostgreSQL servers, there's a tool that fits your requirements. Remember that the best backup tool is the one you'll actually use consistently. Consider factors like your team's expertise, infrastructure setup, budget and recovery time objectives when making your choice. Most importantly, test your backups regularly — an untested backup is no backup at all. All tools mentioned in this article are open source and actively maintained, making them reliable choices for production environments. Start with the tool that best matches your current infrastructure and scale up as your needs grow.
