macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install bacula-fdlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install baculaMacPorts ports tree · sysutils/bacula/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install bacula-fd with Homebrew, apt, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix
Network backup solution. Version 15.0.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install bacula-fdDebian stable package indexes · bacula-fd · source: deb.debian.org
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add baculaAlpine Linux edge package indexes · bacula · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install bacula-clientFedora Rawhide package metadata · bacula-client · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#baculanixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ba/bacula/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Network backup solution
Project links
Commands and aliases
- bacula
- bacula-fd
- bbconsjson
- bfdjson
- get_malware_abuse.ch
- md5tobase64.py
history
Project history and usage
Bacula File Daemon is the client-side daemon from the Bacula network backup system. In Homebrew it is packaged as bacula-fd, emphasizing the component installed on machines being backed up rather than the full Director, Storage daemon, catalog, and console stack.
Project history
Bacula is described by its official site as a set of programs for backup, recovery, and verification across networks of different kinds of computers. The File service, also called the Client program or File daemon, is installed on the machine to be backed up and supplies file attributes and data to the Director during backup and restore.
The official documentation presents Bacula as a modular client/server backup system made of Director, Console, File, Storage, Catalog, and Monitor services. That architecture gave Bacula a role similar to commercial network backup suites while remaining free software and packageable for Unix-like systems.
Bacula's public distribution history is visible through official download links to SourceForge and through the Bacula Community Edition GitLab repository. The official site continues to publish manuals for the 15.0.x series and release artifacts such as 15.0.3 on SourceForge in 2025.
Adoption history
The Bacula site compares it to simpler tools such as tar and dump and to commercial packages such as Legato Networker, ARCserveIT, Arkeia, and PerfectBackup+, which places its adoption story in the system-administration world of scheduled network backups, tape and disk media, catalogs, and centralized restore workflows.
The batch metadata shows bacula-fd available through Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora-family packaging as bacula-client, Alpine, MacPorts, and Nix. That cross-distribution packaging reflects the practical need to install the file daemon on many client machines, even when the Director and Storage services live elsewhere.
How it is used
bacula-fd is configured with bacula-fd.conf and runs as a daemon on each client machine. It talks to the Bacula Director, sends file metadata and contents during backup jobs, and participates in restoring file attributes and data during recovery.
Unlike one-shot archive tools, Bacula expects an administrator to define resources, jobs, clients, storage, schedules, and catalog settings. The file daemon package matters because it is the small install footprint needed on protected hosts.
Why package nerds care
bacula-fd is a classic packaging split: the package manager exposes one daemon from a larger distributed system because users often need the client component without installing the full backup server. That makes it important for fleet configuration, service management, and reproducible backup-agent deployment.
It also represents the older Unix daemon style of operational software: configuration files, long-running services, SQL-backed catalogs, and networked components rather than a single stateless CLI.
Timeline
- 2017: Bacula official 'What is Bacula?' page published, describing the modular backup system and File daemon role.
- 2022: Bacula Community Edition GitLab project created.
- 2025: Bacula 15.0.3 source and documentation artifacts published through the official SourceForge download area.
- 2026: Official manuals page continued to list the 15.0.x documentation series.
Related projects
- The File daemon is related to Bacula Director, Storage daemon, Console, Catalog, and Monitor components.
- Comparable backup tools and suites mentioned in Bacula's own documentation include tar, dump, Legato Networker, ARCserveIT, Arkeia, and PerfectBackup+.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- formula declares a Homebrew service
Signals
- metadata:service
- text:network,backup
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
bacula-fd.conf
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
bacula | cli | global executable | |
bacula-fd | cli | global executable | |
bbconsjson | cli | global executable | |
bfdjson | cli | global executable | |
get_malware_abuse.ch | cli | global executable | |
md5tobase64.py | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version15.0.3
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.bacula.org/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:bacula-fd |
|---|---|
| Version | 15.0.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/bacula-fd |
| Homepage | https://www.bacula.org/ |
| Repository | https://gitlab.bacula.org/bacula-community-edition/bacula-community |
| Upstream docs | https://www.bacula.org/15.0.x-manuals/en/main/Customizing_Configuration_F.html |
| License | AGPL-3.0-only WITH openvpn-openssl-exception |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/bacula/bacula/15.0.3/bacula-15.0.3.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22T14:02:51-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | openssl@3, readline |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | bacula-fd |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Conflicts With |
|
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
bacula-fd 15.0.3-3
network backup service - file daemon
sudo apt install bacula-fd- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 8 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bacula Fd
Ubuntu apt95%
bacula-fd 13.0.4-1build3
network backup service - file daemon
sudo apt install bacula-fd- Section: universe/admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 8 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Bacula Fd
MacPorts94%
bacula
sudo port install bacula- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula 15.0.3-3
network backup service - metapackage
sudo apt install bacula- Section: admin
- Architecture: all
- 2 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-bscan 15.0.3-3
network backup service - bscan tool
sudo apt install bacula-bscan- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 7 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-client 15.0.3-3
network backup service - client metapackage
sudo apt install bacula-client- Section: admin
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: bacula
- 2 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-common 15.0.3-3
network backup service - common support files
sudo apt install bacula-common- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 8 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-common-mysql 15.0.3-3
network backup service - MySQL common files
sudo apt install bacula-common-mysql- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 3 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-common-pgsql 15.0.3-3
network backup service - PostgreSQL common files
sudo apt install bacula-common-pgsql- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 3 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-common-sqlite3 15.0.3-3
network backup service - SQLite v3 common files
sudo apt install bacula-common-sqlite3- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 3 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-console 15.0.3-3
network backup service - text console
sudo apt install bacula-console- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 5 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-console-qt 15.0.3-3
network backup service - Bacula Administration Tool
sudo apt install bacula-console-qt- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 9 dependencies
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-director 15.0.3-3
network backup service - Director daemon
sudo apt install bacula-director- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: bacula
- 10 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-director-mysql 15.0.3-3
network backup service - MySQL storage for Director
sudo apt install bacula-director-mysql- Section: admin
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: bacula
- 7 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 3 optional deps
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-director-pgsql 15.0.3-3
network backup service - PostgreSQL storage for Director
sudo apt install bacula-director-pgsql- Section: admin
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: bacula
- 6 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 2 optional deps
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
Debian apt92%
bacula-director-sqlite3 15.0.3-3
network backup service - SQLite 3 storage for Director
sudo apt install bacula-director-sqlite3- Section: admin
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: bacula
- 7 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Bacula
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment