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BorgBackup

INFRA · APIS
Velocity6.3

Deduplicating encrypted backup program

www.borgbackup.org ↗

Borg's long-running 2.0 beta finally landed packs — and warned it dropped back to alpha quality.

backupdeduplicationrepository-formatdual-branchbetapacks
◆Current state
Borg runs two trains in the same feed. The 1.4.x line is explicitly a refreshed 1.2 — same features and behaviour, with the riskier changes isolated so they could be tested before shipping — and it has taken over as the recommended branch since 1.2.9 was called the final 1.2 release. The 2.0 line has been in beta since well before this window, at b22 as of July 2026, with every release carrying a do-not-use-on-production warning. b22 introduced packs and the maintainers told users to expect alpha stability despite the beta number.
◆Where it's heading
The split is the story: one branch exists purely to keep existing users safe and current, while the other rewrites how data is stored on disk. Packs are the kind of change that determines whether 2.0 ever ships — repository layout affects performance, resumability and every recovery path at once, and the honesty about stability regressing suggests the shakeout is still ahead. The 1.4 line will keep absorbing fixes and low-severity security work in the meantime, and the b18 corruption bug shows why the two trains are kept firmly apart.
◆Prediction
Expect further 2.0 betas focused on packs stability before anything resembling a release candidate, with 1.4.x continuing to carry routine fixes for production users.

◆Recent moves

  1. 4d ago

    1.4.5: fixes, a low-severity security fix and small features

    Routine maintenance on the branch Borg actually recommends for production, including a low-severity security fix. The stable train's job in this period is to be uneventful while 2.0 takes the risk.

    View source ↗
  2. 13d ago

    2.0.0b22 introduces packs — and warns stability regressed to alpha

    ⚡ SPARK

    The largest change in the 2.0 line so far, and the maintainers front-load the caveat: despite the beta number, expect alpha quality. Packs rework how Borg lays data out on disk, which touches every path the 1.4 branch is being kept stable to protect.

    View source ↗
  3. 4mo ago

    1.4.4 maintenance release

    Another stable-branch maintenance drop with no highlighted changes in the release note itself. Continues the 1.4.x pattern of small, low-risk increments over a refreshed 1.2 baseline.

    View source ↗
  4. 4mo ago

    2.0.0b21 beta, testing only

    A 2.0 beta with no highlighted changes in the release note, four months before packs landed. Part of the slow pre-packs stretch of the branch.

    View source ↗
  5. 7mo ago

    2.0.0b20 beta, testing only

    Another 2.0 beta whose notes point entirely to the external changelog. No user-facing signal in the entry itself.

    View source ↗
  6. 8mo ago

    1.4.3 maintenance release

    A stable-branch release cut minutes after 1.4.2 in the feed, both restating the same 1.4-is-a-refreshed-1.2 framing. Routine upkeep of the production branch.

    View source ↗