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dbferry vs SnapShooter
SnapShooter, acquired by DigitalOcean in 2023, is a broad backup service — droplets, volumes, files, apps and databases — and is the backup option DigitalOcean recommends. dbferry is narrow by design: per-database logical backups for managed Postgres and MySQL, encrypted client-side by default. Here's where each one fits.
The short version
SnapShooter is a capable, general backup tool — especially convenient if you're all-in on DigitalOcean and want droplets, volumes and databases handled from one place. On managed database clusters it works through the provider's API at cluster level, and its encryption is a feature of higher tiers.
dbferry only backs up databases, and it does so per database with a portable logical dump, encrypting on your machine before anything leaves — a different posture aimed squarely at multi-database clusters.
| SnapShooter | dbferry | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Broad: droplets, volumes, files, apps, databases | Focused: managed Postgres & MySQL |
| Managed-database granularity | Cluster-level via provider API | Per database, restore one |
| Backup type | Cluster snapshot / server-side dump | Portable logical dump per database |
| Encryption | On higher tiers; per-backup key | Default, client-side (age / AEAD) |
| Bring your own storage | Yes | Yes — required, your bucket |
| Zero data retention | Depends on backup mode | Core design |
| Open-source core | No | Yes — CLI + pipeline |
Where dbferry is different
Per-database restore, not cluster-level
On managed databases, SnapShooter operates at the cluster the provider exposes. That means recovering a single database still runs into the restore-the-whole-cluster problem. dbferry backs up each database as its own encrypted object, so restoring one tenant is a single command and leaves the rest alone.
Encryption on by default, and authenticated
dbferry encrypts every backup client-side with age (X25519 + ChaCha20-Poly1305, an authenticated AEAD cipher), using a key you hold — it's not an upsell tier and it's not optional. If encryption matters to you, it's the default here rather than a reason to move up a plan.
Narrow on purpose
dbferry doesn't back up droplets, files or volumes. It's a database backup tool. That focus is why it can offer per-database granularity and a lower entry price for exactly this job.
When SnapShooter is the better pick
If you want one dashboard for your whole DigitalOcean footprint — droplets, volumes, files and databases — SnapShooter's breadth is a real advantage, and it's tightly integrated with DO. dbferry won't cover those other resources; it's only for databases.
If per-database restore is the point, try dbferry
Every database on your managed cluster backed up separately into your own bucket, encrypted before it leaves your machine, restorable one at a time. Free open-source CLI, or the hosted service on a schedule.