At a glance
| Supported databases | PostgreSQL (10 and earlier no longer supported), EDB Postgres Advanced Server and Postgres Extended |
| Backup types | Full physical backups; file-level incremental (rsync) and block-level incremental (PostgreSQL 17+) |
| Point-in-time recovery | Yes, from base backups and archived WAL |
| Compression and encryption | gzip, lz4 and zstd for streamed backups; several WAL compressors; GPG encryption; S3 SSE-C |
| Storage targets | Barman server disk; Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage and Google Cloud Storage via barman-cloud; cloud disk snapshots |
| Retention and automation | REDUNDANCY or RECOVERY WINDOW policies, barman cron, keep for indefinite retention |
| Restore options | Local or remote recovery to a point in time; restore from cloud storage (3.19+) |
| Deployment | Self-hosted Python application on a dedicated Linux backup server (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL family) |
| Licensing | GPLv3, free |
Barman fits teams that want one dedicated backup server to manage physical backups, WAL archiving, retention policies and recovery for many PostgreSQL servers, backed by EDB. It is free and well documented, but it is a command-line tool on Linux, and block-level incrementals need PostgreSQL 17 or later.
Overview
Barman is a Python application, maintained by EDB, that runs on a separate backup server and takes remote physical backups of one or more PostgreSQL servers. It can copy data with rsync over SSH, stream it with pg_basebackup (the postgres backup method), copy locally, or upload straight to Amazon S3 (local-to-cloud), and it archives WAL so you can recover to any point in time. A catalogue lets you list, keep, delete, archive and recover backups, and the barman cron job enforces retention policies.
Incremental backups come in two forms: file-level with rsync (reuse_backup, which hard-links unchanged files) and block-level with the postgres method on PostgreSQL 17 or later, using PostgreSQL's native incremental backup. The barman-cloud tools write backups and WAL to Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage and Google Cloud Storage, and cloud snapshot backups are supported. GPG encryption arrived in 3.14, and recent releases added restores from cloud storage (3.19), zstd compression for barman-cloud-backup and S3 SSE-C (3.20). PostgreSQL 10 and earlier are no longer supported.
Key features
- Central backup server managing remote backups and recovery for many PostgreSQL servers
- Point-in-time recovery from base backups plus archived WAL
- Retention policies by redundancy or recovery window, enforced by barman cron, with keep to pin backups
- File-level incremental backups with rsync and block-level incrementals on PostgreSQL 17+
- barman-cloud tools for Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage and Google Cloud Storage, plus cloud snapshot backups
- Compression (gzip, lz4, zstd for streamed backups) and GPG encryption
- Geographical redundancy, hook scripts and a barman check command for monitoring
Integrations and ecosystem
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and maintained by EDB, a major PostgreSQL company
- One backup server for many PostgreSQL servers, with a catalogue and retention policies
- Clear retention model (redundancy or recovery window)
- Several backup methods, including cloud object storage and snapshots
Cons
- Block-level incrementals need PostgreSQL 17 or later; older versions get file-level rsync incrementals only
- Incremental types cannot be mixed, and local-to-cloud backups do not support incrementals
- Command-line only, with a dedicated backup server to run
- Recent releases require Python 3.12 or later on the Barman host
Pricing
Barman is free and open source under the GNU GPL version 3, maintained by EnterpriseDB (EDB). There is no paid edition of Barman itself; EDB sells PostgreSQL support and subscriptions separately. Your costs are a backup server, storage and the work to run it.
Pricing checked on the vendor's official page on 7 November 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.
Who it is best for
PostgreSQL teams that want a dedicated backup server managing PITR, retention and cloud copies for several self-managed PostgreSQL or EDB Postgres servers.
Typical use cases
- Running one backup server for a fleet of PostgreSQL servers with a common retention policy
- Keeping 30 days of point-in-time recovery with a RECOVERY WINDOW policy
- Shipping base backups and WAL to Amazon S3 or Azure Blob Storage with barman-cloud
- Keeping a geo-redundant copy of backups in a second data centre
Who should look elsewhere
- Managed PostgreSQL such as Amazon RDS, where the provider runs physical backups: see RDS backups and snapshots.
- Small single databases where a scheduled logical dump is enough: see the pg_dump guide.
Verdict
Barman is a mature, free PostgreSQL backup manager with a clear server-centric model, solid retention policies and growing cloud support, maintained by EDB. Its newest incremental features depend on PostgreSQL 17 or later, and it needs a dedicated Linux host and command-line skills, so compare it with pgBackRest on your PostgreSQL versions and storage plans.
Frequently asked questions
Who maintains Barman?
EnterpriseDB (EDB). The project's README says Barman is distributed under the GNU GPL 3 and maintained by EnterpriseDB.
Does Barman support incremental backups?
Yes. The rsync method supports file-level incrementals through reuse_backup, and the postgres method supports block-level incrementals using PostgreSQL 17's native incremental backup.
Can Barman back up to S3, Azure or Google Cloud?
Yes. The barman-cloud tools write backups and WAL to Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage and Google Cloud Storage, and Barman can also take cloud disk snapshot backups.
Which PostgreSQL versions does Barman support?
The release notes say PostgreSQL 9.6 and earlier were dropped in 3.0.0 and PostgreSQL 10 in 3.6.0. Version-specific features such as block-level incrementals need PostgreSQL 17 or later.
Sources
- Barman home page
- Barman GitHub repository (GPLv3, EDB)
- Barman release notes
- Barman user guide: backups
- Barman user guide: retention policies
- Barman documentation
Checked November 2026.
Listed in: Database Backup & Recovery.
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