Duplicity became popular as an encrypted incremental backup tool for Unix-like systems, focusing on secure remote storage rather than heavyweight backup servers.
Its use of GnuPG encryption and incremental chain behavior made it attractive for administrators needing encrypted offsite backups over standard transports such as SSH and cloud backends.
As cloud storage options expanded, Duplicity adapted to additional backends and improved operational tooling around verification, retention cleanup, and restore operations.
The project remains relevant for script-driven backup environments where command-line control and encryption-first design are primary requirements.
Today, Duplicity continues as a practical open-source choice for secure incremental backups across diverse storage targets.