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Comparison · DevOps
Aiven vs pgBackRest
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Aiven and pgBackRest — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:postgresql
Aiven vs pgBackRest: at a glance
What is Aiven?
Aiven moves Grafana to 13 and gives Runtime apps custom domains.
Aiven's November releases mix pricing changes with plumbing between its own services. The MySQL free tier stops on 21 December, bring-your-own-key encryption is included at no extra cost, and a change-data-capture integration now copies PostgreSQL tables into ClickHouse in limited availability. On 12 November Grafana 13.2 became available alongside 12.4, without Git Sync or the Synthetic Monitoring app, and Aiven Runtime applications gained custom domains and readable URLs.
What is pgBackRest?
pgBackRest 2.60 now stops a restore when a page checksum is bad
pgBackRest 2.60.0, released October 18, changes a default: restore now errors and stops if a restored file has an invalid page checksum, leaving the cluster unable to start until the restore is rerun, and expire refuses to proceed if the oldest retained backup would contain checksum errors. Setting checksum-page-error=n returns to warnings. The release also adds GCS Workload Identity Federation and prefetch for object-store reads. Two weeks earlier 2.59.3 fixed a bug that could generate weak encryption subkeys and salts when system random data failed.
Aiven vs pgBackRest: editorial side-by-side
Aiven
6.3DEVOPS
Aiven moves Grafana to 13 and gives Runtime apps custom domains.
◆ Current state
Aiven's November releases mix pricing changes with plumbing between its own services. The MySQL free tier stops on 21 December, bring-your-own-key encryption is included at no extra cost, and a change-data-capture integration now copies PostgreSQL tables into ClickHouse in limited availability. On 12 November Grafana 13.2 became available alongside 12.4, without Git Sync or the Synthetic Monitoring app, and Aiven Runtime applications gained custom domains and readable URLs.
◆ Where it's heading
Aiven is filling out the layer around its databases: logs, access control, encryption, dashboards and now an application runtime with its own domains. Each release is small, but together they make it easier to keep both data and the apps that use it on Aiven.
◆ Prediction
Expect more Aiven Runtime features that connect apps to Aiven's own databases, and a default-version switch to Grafana 13 once 12.4 nears end of support.
pgBackRest
5.0DEVOPS
pgBackRest 2.60 now stops a restore when a page checksum is bad
◆ Current state
pgBackRest 2.60.0, released October 18, changes a default: restore now errors and stops if a restored file has an invalid page checksum, leaving the cluster unable to start until the restore is rerun, and expire refuses to proceed if the oldest retained backup would contain checksum errors. Setting checksum-page-error=n returns to warnings. The release also adds GCS Workload Identity Federation and prefetch for object-store reads. Two weeks earlier 2.59.3 fixed a bug that could generate weak encryption subkeys and salts when system random data failed.
◆ Where it's heading
The project is moving from reporting corruption to refusing to continue past it, a stricter stance that fits the root restriction in 2.59.0. Cloud identity continues too, with GCS joining the Azure and S3 work. Underneath, the code generation, documentation tools and test harness have moved from C and Perl to Python, and a documented release schedule and new website show the project formalizing how it runs.
◆ Prediction
Patches tracking PostgreSQL 19 should continue, as 2.59.2 did with 19beta4. Now that restore can fail on checksums, expect follow-up fixes or guidance for clusters where existing backups contain them.
Alternatives to Aiven and pgBackRest
Other DevOps products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Aiven or pgBackRest.
Appsmith
Appsmith 2.7 makes its MCP agent ask before deleting widgets and blocks stale edits.
Apache Arrow Rust
Arrow Rust cuts release candidates on three older lines at once.
Sanity
Sanity's MCP server now explains failed validations and stops skipping them.
GitHub
GitHub sets a December 8 cutoff for ARM32 Actions runners and opens AI Scan to the API.
Manticore Search
Manticore keeps patching 31.x, now fixing a FREEZE crash and a DocID ordering bug.
See all Aiven alternatives → · See all pgBackRest alternatives →
Recent activity from Aiven and pgBackRest
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoAivenAiven for Grafana® 13 is now available
- 1d agoAivenCustom domains and friendly URLs for Aiven Runtime applications
- 3d agoAivenReplicate PostgreSQL tables to ClickHouse with CDC (limited availability)
- 4d agoAivenExport event logs
- 4d agoAivenDatabase-level access control for Aiven for Valkey™
- 4d agoAivenApache Kafka MirrorMaker 2 now supports multiple versions
- 27d agopgBackRestv2.60.0: Page Checksum Errors and Object Store Prefetch
- 1mo agopgBackRestv2.59.3: Weak Encryption Subkey Bug
- 1mo agopgBackRestv2.59.2: PostgreSQL 19beta4 Support
- 2mo agopgBackRestv2.59.1: PostgreSQL 19beta3 Support
- 3mo agopgBackRestv2.59.0: PostgreSQL 19 Support
- 9mo agopgBackRestv2.58.0: Object Storage Improvements
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Aiven and pgBackRest?
Both compete on the same themes — postgresql — within DevOps. Aiven is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Aiven better than pgBackRest?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Aiven is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other DevOps products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Aiven?
Top Aiven alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Aiven alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/aiven for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to pgBackRest?
Top pgBackRest alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "pgBackRest alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/pgbackrest for the full list with editorial commentary on each.