Bareos Backup FAQ
Bareos is a leading open-source backup and recovery software for enterprises. This FAQ page provides clear answers to the top questions about Bareos, including migration, ransomware protection, cloud backup, disaster recovery and compliance.
1. General Information
Bareos is open-source backup and recovery software for Linux, Windows and mixed IT environments. It supports physical systems, virtual machines, databases and different storage targets including disk, tape and S3-compatible object storage.
Bareos and Bacula share a common development history, but Bareos has been developed independently since 2010. Veeam follows a commercial proprietary model, while Bareos source code is available under the AGPLv3.
For a broader look at how Bareos and other open-source backup tools differ, see our article on central backup platforms vs simple backup tools.
Yes. Bareos is released under the AGPLv3, and the source code is publicly available on GitHub. You can use the Community version without buying a subscription.
A Bareos Subscription adds access to the subscription repository, maintained binary packages, selected plugins and professional support. The source code remains open source. Bareos
The Community version gives you access to the current Bareos release through the public repository and to the complete source code on GitHub.
A Bareos Subscription is intended for organizations running Bareos in production. It adds maintained packages for current and previous releases, professional support and binary packages for selected plugins, including the Proxmox, Hyper-V and Barri Windows Disaster Recovery plugins.
You can also request temporary Bareos trial access if you want to test subscription plugins in your own environment before deciding.
2. Compatibility and Features
The short answer is yes.
Tape drives and media changers normally communicate through standardized SCSI interfaces that have been used for many years. Bareos works with standard tape drives and autochangers supported by the operating system.
We are not aware of current SCSI-connected tape hardware that is generally incompatible with Bareos. However, for unusual hardware or larger tape environments, we recommend checking the setup before production use.
Yes. Bareos supports Linux, Windows, macOS and FreeBSD and is designed for environments where different operating systems need to be managed from one backup platform.
Bareos packages are available for major Linux distributions including Red Hat Enterprise Linux and derivatives, Debian, Ubuntu and SUSE. Windows, macOS and FreeBSD systems can also be protected.
Bareos can manage physical systems, virtual machines, databases and different storage targets from one central environment.
Learn more about Bareos efficiency and scalability.
Yes. Bareos provides dedicated integrations for PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server. Depending on the database, these integrations can support functions such as online backups, incremental backups and database-specific recovery workflows.
Other databases can be protected using their own backup tools or export mechanisms and then including the resulting data in a Bareos backup. For example, Oracle RMAN backups can be stored and protected by Bareos.
Yes. Linux and Windows systems running in AWS, Azure, OpenStack or other cloud environments can be protected with the Bareos File Daemon in the same way as other systems.
Bareos can also use S3-compatible object storage as a backup target. The Libcloud Plugin can be used to back up objects from S3-compatible storage into a Bareos backup.
Bareos provides technical features that can support backup and recovery requirements related to NIS2, DORA and GDPR.
These include TLS-encrypted communication, client-side encryption and signing, role-based access control, defined retention periods, checksums, verification jobs and support for offline and WORM storage.
Bareos alone does not make an organization compliant. Compliance also depends on how backup processes, access controls, retention policies and recovery procedures are designed and operated.
Learn more on our Security and Compliance page.
The Proxmox plugin supports agentless full backups of KVM virtual machines and LXC containers. Incremental backups for Proxmox VMs will be available with Bareos 26, expected around November 2026.
VMware integration supports VM-level backup using VMware’s data protection APIs. Bareos also provides a Hyper-V plugin for backing up Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines.
Yes. Organizations that want to test Bareos in their own environment can request temporary evaluation access.
This can be used to evaluate selected subscription plugins and check whether Bareos fits the existing infrastructure before deciding how to continue.
3. Backup Strategies & Best Practices
There is no single backup strategy that fits every environment. It depends on how much data you have, how often it changes, how quickly it needs to be restored and how much data loss you can accept.
A common starting point is the 3-2-1 strategy: keep three copies of your data on two different types of storage with one copy stored off-site. Bareos can combine different storage targets such as disk, tape and S3-compatible object storage within one backup environment.
You should also define your recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO) before deciding how often backups run and how long they are retained.
Read more in our guide to data backup strategies for businesses
Yes. Bareos supports full, differential and incremental backups.
A full backup processes the complete selected data set. An incremental backup stores data that has changed since the previous successful backup while a differential backup stores changes since the last full backup.
Schedules and retention rules can be configured depending on how often data changes and how far back you need to restore.
Bareos also supports an Always Incremental backup scheme for file-based backups.
After the initial full backup, clients continue to run incremental backups. Older backup jobs can then be consolidated on the storage side instead of regularly transferring another complete full backup from the client.
This can reduce the amount of data transferred over the network. Always Incremental is designed for file-based backups and does not apply to every type of workload or plugin.
Bareos does not provide its own native deduplication engine.
Instead, the Dedupable Storage Backend stores backup data in a format that makes it easier for block-level deduplication in the underlying storage system. This can be used with technologies such as ZFS, Btrfs or VDO.
4. Security, Disaster Recovery & Compliance
Bareos cannot prevent a ransomware attack on production systems but it can help keep backup data protected and available for recovery.
Bareos supports TLS-encrypted communication, client-side encryption and signing, checksums, verification jobs and defined retention policies. Backup data can also be stored on separated systems, offline tape or WORM media so it is harder for an attacker to reach or modify it.
A good ransomware strategy should combine protected backup storage with regular restore tests and clear recovery procedures.
Read more about ransomware protection with Bareos and our Security and Compliance features
Bareos supports disaster recovery for both Linux and Windows systems.
For Linux, Bareos integrates with Relax-and-Recover (ReaR). ReaR can create a bootable rescue system and restore the operating system, configuration and data after a system failure.
For Windows, Bareos provides the Barri Plugin. Barri can create a disaster recovery image of a running Windows system and restore it after a hardware failure, corrupted system or other major incident.
You can read more in our article about Bare Metal Recovery with Bareos and in our comparison of open-source backup recovery and disaster recovery
Yes.
For Linux systems, Bareos works with Relax-and-Recover (ReaR) to create recovery media and rebuild a system after a complete failure.
For Windows systems, Bareos provides Barri – Bareos Recovery Imager. Barri creates disaster recovery images that can be restored using Linux or Windows recovery tools, including Windows PE when additional hardware drivers are required
Bareos can verify backup data using checksums and verification jobs. It also supports encryption and digital signing of backup data on the client side.
These functions help detect unexpected changes and confirm that the backup data used for recovery is still intact.
5. Migration & Onboarding
The effort depends on your current backup software, infrastructure and how much of the existing setup you want to keep.
Bareos can be introduced step by step and run alongside an existing backup solution during the migration. This gives you time to test backup and restore workflows before moving production systems.
For larger environments, Bareos Consulting can help with migration planning, setup reviews and configuration checks.
A typical migration starts with reviewing the current backup environment, storage targets, retention rules and recovery requirements. Bareos can then be set up in parallel so that selected systems and workloads can be moved gradually.
If you are migrating from Bacula, some parts of the configuration and catalog can also be converted. In one Bareos customer project, the Bareos team provided Python scripts to convert Bacula Director configuration files and adapt the catalog during the migration.
You can also use our Bareos Consulting Services for migration support and setup guidance.
Yes. Organizations can request temporary evaluation access and test Bareos in their own infrastructure before making a migration decision.
This is useful for checking operating system support, storage configuration, restore workflows and subscription plugins with your own workloads.
6. Support & Community
There are several ways to get help with Bareos.
The Bareos documentation covers installation, configuration, plugins and recovery procedures.
For community support, the bareos-users mailing list remains available for questions and discussions about running Bareos. Developers and contributors can use GitHub Discussions for technical discussions about the project. Bugs can be reported through the Bareos GitHub repository.
Organizations that need professional assistance can use a Bareos Subscription with support or book Bareos Consulting Services
Yes. Bareos Consulting can help with architecture planning, migrations, configuration reviews, storage design, performance optimization and troubleshooting.
This can also be useful for an existing Bareos environment if you want to review the setup before changing storage, adding new workloads or planning a larger upgrade.
See Bareos Services for more information
7. Subscription / Support
Customers with a Bareos Subscription or Support contract can use the Bareos Service Desk for subscription and support topics.
The Service Desk includes information about repository access, subscriptions and technical support. For support-related topics, see the Bareos Support section
A Bareos Subscription gives organizations access to tested binary packages, subscription repositories, older package versions and selected subscription-only plugins. It is also the basis for professional Bareos Support.
The software itself remains open source under the AGPLv3.
You can find more details on the Bareos Subscription page
Bareos Subscriptions are based on Backup Units. The number of units depends on your source data, number of clients and plugin jobs.
For the calculation, Bareos uses the larger value of:
– source data in TB
– clients + plugin jobs
The result is rounded up to the next 10 units with a minimum of 10 units.
You can use the Bareos Pricing Calculator to enter your environment details and get an estimate for Subscription, Support and optional services. You can also use the same page to request a formal quote.
Didn’t find your answer? Contact us, discuss your questions with the community in the Bareos Google Group or explore topics on GitHub.