Best cloud storage services with CLI for AcademiX GNU/Linux: (Guide)

Best Cloud Storage with CLI for AcademiX GNU/Linux

As a power user of AcademiX GNU/Linux, having a reliable, secure and scriptable cloud storage solution is essential. Command-line interfaces (CLI) not only integrate seamlessly with shell scripts and cron jobs, but also consume minimal resources and can run on headless systems. In this article we’ll explore the top cloud storage providers with native or community-driven CLI support, compare their features, show you how to install and use each one on AcademiX GNU/Linux, and point out common pitfalls.

Why Choose a CLI-Based Cloud Client?

Automation: schedule backups and sync tasks via cron or systemd timers.
Low Overhead: no GUI required—ideal for servers and minimal desktop setups.
Flexibility: pipe streams between commands, use in scripts, filter logs, integrate with CI/CD.
Remote Operation: SSH into your machine and initiate uploads/downloads without an X server.

Comparison Table

Service	Link	CLI Tool	Free Storage	End-to-End Encryption	Cross-Platform	Pricing (Starting)
pCloud	pcloud.com	pcloudcc / pcloudcmd	10 GB	Optional client-side	Windows, macOS, Linux	4.99/mo for 500 GB
MEGA	mega.nz	megacmd	20 GB	End-to-end	All major OS	€4.99/mo for 400 GB
Proton Drive	proton.me	proton-drive-cli	10 GB	End-to-end	Linux, macOS, Windows	€4.99/mo for 200 GB
Filen	filen.io	filen-cli	3 GB	End-to-end	Linux, Windows	3.99/mo for 500 GB
Tresorit	tresorit.com	tresorit-cli	3 GB	End-to-end	Linux, Windows, macOS	€10.42/mo for 200 GB
Icedrive	icedrive.net	icedrive-cli	10 GB	Client-side	Linux, Windows, macOS	1.67/mo for 150 GB
Dropbox	dropbox.com	dropbox-uploader	2 GB	TLS	Linux, Windows, macOS	9.99/mo for 2 TB
Google Drive	rclone.org	rclone	15 GB	TLS (No E2E)	All major OS	1.99/mo for 100 GB

Detailed Setup and Usage

1. pCloud (pcloudcc / pcloudcmd)

pCloud offers both a FUSE‐based mount (pcloudcc) and a console sync client (pcloudcmd).

Installation on AcademiX:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pcloudcc pcloudcmd

Authenticate and sync a folder:

pcloudcc --login your_email@example.com
pcloudcc --mount /mnt/pcloud
# or for sync
pcloudcmd sync upload /home/user/docs /docs

Common Issues: FUSE mount fails if fusermount is missing. Install fuse package. Concurrent sync sessions may cause rate limits.

2. MEGA (megacmd)

MEGA’s megacmd provides an integrated shell and daemon.

# Add MEGA repository, then:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install megacmd

mega-login your_email@example.com
mega-sync /home/user/photos /Photos
mega-whoami

Common Issues: 2FA users must generate an app password. Network interruptions can freeze the daemon—restart with mega-sync --restart.

3. Proton Drive (proton-drive-cli)

# Install via pip
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-pip
pip3 install proton-drive-cli

proton-drive login
proton-drive upload /home/user/secrets.pdf /Secure/Secrets.pdf
proton-drive list /Secure

Common Issues: Token expiration—re-run proton-drive login. Large files (>2 GB) may timeout split manually if needed.

4. Filen (filen-cli)

sudo apt update
wget https://github.com/filen/filen-cli/releases/latest/download/filen-linux-amd64.zip
unzip filen-linux-amd64.zip
sudo mv filen /usr/local/bin/

filen init
filen upload local_dir remote:/backup
filen download remote:/backup local_restore

Common Issues: Permissions—ensure ~/.filen is writable. Proxy settings may require HTTP_PROXY variables.

5. Tresorit (tresorit-cli)

wget https://github.com/Tresorit/tresorit-cli/releases/latest/download/tresorit-cli-linux.tar.gz
tar xzf tresorit-cli-linux.tar.gz
sudo cp tresorit /usr/local/bin/

tresorit login
tresorit sync add /home/user/work T:Work
tresorit status

Common Issues: Certificate errors—install ca-certificates. Conflicts with older versions remove old binaries.

6. Icedrive (icedrive-cli)

wget https://github.com/Icedrive/icedrive-cli/releases/latest/download/icedrive-cli-linux.tar.gz
tar xzf icedrive-cli-linux.tar.gz
sudo mv icedrive /usr/local/bin/

icedrive auth login
icedrive sync /home/user/music /Music
icedrive ls /

Common Issues: Occasional 403 errors—re-authenticate with icedrive auth logout and icedrive auth login. FUSE mounts require fuse3.

7. Dropbox (dropbox-uploader)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git curl
git clone https://github.com/andreafabrizi/Dropbox-Uploader.git
cd Dropbox-Uploader
chmod  x dropbox_uploader.sh
sudo mv dropbox_uploader.sh /usr/local/bin/dropbox-uploader

dropbox-uploader
# Follow prompts to generate API key
dropbox-uploader upload file.txt /
dropbox-uploader list /

Common Issues: API limits (1500 calls/hour). Use batching to reduce calls.

8. Google Drive (via Rclone)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install rclone

rclone config
# Choose drive, follow OAuth prompts
rclone ls remote:MyDrive
rclone sync /home/user/documents remote:Backup

Common Issues: Rate limits (quota exceeded). Use --drive-chunk-size 64M and --tpslimit 10 to mitigate.

Which One to Choose?

For maximum free storage: MEGA (20 GB) or Google Drive (15 GB via Rclone).
For strong E2E encryption: Proton Drive, MEGA, Tresorit, Filen.
For budget-friendly paid plans: Icedrive (1.67/mo) and pCloud (4.99/mo) offer excellent value.
For simplicity and reliability: Rclone with Google Drive or Dropbox-Uploader—very mature ecosystems.

Conclusion

AcademiX GNU/Linux users can harness the power of CLI cloud clients to automate backups, securely store sensitive data, and integrate with existing shell workflows. Each provider has its strengths—evaluate based on your storage needs, encryption requirements, scripting complexity, and budget. With the examples and troubleshooting tips above, you’re now ready to choose and deploy the best CLI-based cloud storage solution for your AcademiX environment.