Barman

Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted

What Barman is

Barman is a free, self-hosted Python administration tool for PostgreSQL disaster recovery. It manages remote backups of multiple servers and supports local or remote recovery, including point-in-time recovery. Its backup tools include catalogs, incremental and parallel operations, retention policies, and WAL archiving and streaming. Synchronous WAL streaming supports zero data loss (RPO=0). Remote backups can use rsync over SSH or pg_basebackup; recovery can run locally or over SSH. Barman integrates with PostgreSQL and archiving tools such as tar, and can compress WAL files using bzip2, gzip, or a custom method. GPG encryption for backups and WAL files depends on configuration. Immutable storage is supported with a required grace period in the current implementation. Barman runs on Linux or UNIX-like systems and uses an INI configuration file with locally stored metadata. Its experimental cloud-streaming method supports only S3-compatible destinations and does not support encryption or direct restores in Barman. The code is distributed under GPL-3.

Who it suits

Barman suits organizations and database administrators responsible for disaster recovery of business-critical PostgreSQL databases, especially those operating self-hosted Linux or UNIX-like systems.

What it does well

Supports point-in-time recovery.
Manages backups and WAL retention policies.
Offers incremental and parallel backup and recovery.
Synchronous WAL streaming supports RPO=0.
Free and self-hosted under GPL-3.

What to know first

GPG encryption depends on configuration.
Immutable storage requires a grace period.
Experimental cloud streaming is limited to S3-compatible destinations.
Cloud streaming lacks encryption and direct Barman restores.

Limits

The experimental streaming-to-cloud method supports only S3-compatible destinations and does not support encryption or direct restores in Barman. GPG encryption requires configuration, and immutable storage has a required grace period in the current implementation.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Barman	Open-source PostgreSQL disaster recovery tool	Free

As pgbarman.org lists them, read 30 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Choose a listed download source: PGDG or EDB repositories, PyPI, or GitHub releases.
Install on Linux or a UNIX-like system, including FreeBSD or OpenBSD.
Configure Barman with its INI configuration file.
Connect PostgreSQL servers and choose a remote backup transport such as rsync over SSH or pg_basebackup.
Set backup and WAL retention policies and configure archiving or streaming.
Configure GPG if you need encryption, or add optional cloud libraries for a listed provider integration.

Verdict

Barman combines PostgreSQL backup management with local and remote recovery options. Its cloud-streaming method has specific limits, and encryption requires configuration.

Questions

How much does Barman cost?

Barman is free; its listed plan is free.

Is Barman open source?

Yes. Its code is distributed under GNU General Public License 3.

Which databases does it support?

Barman is for PostgreSQL servers.

Where can Barman run?

It runs on Linux and UNIX-like systems, including FreeBSD and OpenBSD.

Can Barman recover to a point in time?

Yes. It supports point-in-time recovery, as well as local and remote recovery.

What support is available?

Community support is available through a mailing list and GitHub bug tracker. EnterpriseDB offers 24x7 production support, consulting, and training.

Facts from Barman's own pages

Backup features: Its features include backup catalogs, incremental and parallel backup and recovery, retention policies, and WAL archiving and streaming. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Backup transports: Remote backups can use rsync over SSH or pg_basebackup. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Cloud backup limitation: The documented experimental streaming-to-cloud method supports only S3-compatible destinations and does not support encryption or direct restores in Barman. · docs.pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Cloud providers: Optional libraries enable integrations for AWS S3 and EC2 snapshots, Azure Blob Storage and VM snapshots, and Google Cloud Storage and Compute snapshots. · docs.pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Community support: Community support is available through a mailing list and GitHub bug tracker. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Compression: It can compress WAL files using bzip2, gzip, or a custom method. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Configuration: Barman uses a simple INI configuration file and stores metadata locally. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Current release: The homepage lists version 3.20.1, dated 29 September 2026. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Downloads: The project lists PGDG and EDB repositories, PyPI, and GitHub releases as download sources. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Encryption: Barman supports encryption of backups and WAL files using GPG, subject to configuration requirements. · docs.pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Founded: 2004 · pgbarman.org, 28 Sept 2026
Headquarters: Wilmington, Delaware, United States · pgbarman.org, 28 Sept 2026
Immutable storage: Barman can store backups on immutable storage to protect against malicious actors or accidental deletion, with a required grace period for its current implementation. · docs.pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Integrations: Barman integrates with PostgreSQL and standard archiving tools such as tar. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Intended users: Barman is designed for organizations and database administrators managing disaster recovery for business-critical PostgreSQL databases. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
License: Barman's code is distributed under GNU General Public License 3. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Operating system: Barman runs on Linux or UNIX-like systems, including FreeBSD and OpenBSD, according to the 3.20.0 installation requirements. · docs.pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Professional support: EnterpriseDB offers 24x7 production support, consulting, and training for Postgres and Barman. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Purpose: Barman is an open-source Python administration tool for disaster recovery of PostgreSQL servers. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Recovery: Barman supports point-in-time recovery and both local and remote recovery. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Remote access: Remote backups can use rsync over SSH or pg_basebackup, and recovery can be local or over SSH. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Remote backups: Barman supports remote backups of multiple PostgreSQL servers for business-critical environments. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Retention: Barman manages retention policies for backups and WAL files. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026
Support: Community support is available through a mailing list and GitHub bug tracker; EDB offers 24x7 production support, consulting, and training. · pgbarman.org, 30 Sept 2026

Where Barman stands on Freedom251

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