Best cloud storage services with CLI for Diskless Remote Boot in Linux (DRBL) Live: (Comparison)

Introduction

Diskless Remote Boot in Linux (DRBL) Live provides a lightweight, network-bootable environment ideal for classrooms, labs or thin-client setups. Integrating cloud storage with a command-line interface (CLI) in a DRBL Live session allows centralized data access, backup and synchronization without installing heavy GUI clients on each client machine. Below is a professional guide to the best cloud storage services offering native or community-supported CLI tools, step-by-step usage examples and troubleshooting tips.

Top Recommended Services

1. pCloud
2. MEGA
3. Proton Drive
4. Filen
5. Tresorit
6. Icedrive
7. Dropbox (added)

Comparison Table

Which One to Choose?

• For strongest encryption: MEGA or Proton Drive (end-to-end by default).
• For large free tier: MEGA (20 GB) or pCloud (10 GB bonuses).
• For FUSE mount on DRBL Live: pCloud, Icedrive or MEGA (all provide stable FUSE).
• For corporate compliance: Tresorit (although requires rclone workaround).
• For lightweight sync-only needs: Filen or Proton Drive CLI.
• For broadest community support: Dropbox CLI (ubiquitous).

How to Use Each with CLI

1. pCloud

Install the pcloudcc client and mount your drive via FUSE.

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install pcloudcc

# Authenticate and mount
pcloudcc --username your@email.com --password YourPcloudPass

# By default mounts at ~/pcloud
ls ~/pcloud

Typical problems: missing FUSE support (install fuse), stale mount after network drop (re-run pcloudcc).

2. MEGA

Use megacmd for a full shell, sync or direct commands.

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install megacmd

# Login
mega-login your@email.com MegaPass123

# List root
mega-ls /

# Upload a file
mega-put myfile.txt /Root

# Mount as FUSE
mega-sync /local/dir /Root

Typical problems: API timeouts under heavy load (mega-cmd-server restart helps), version mismatches with DRBL Live kernel.

3. Proton Drive

The CLI is in beta install via pip.

sudo apt install python3-pip
pip3 install proton-drive-cli

# Login
export PROTON_USERNAME=you@proton.me
export PROTON_PASSWORD=StrongPass!
proton-drive login

# List and upload
proton-drive list /
proton-drive upload /local/path.txt /remote/

Typical problems: 2FA required account – run proton-drive login --2fa 123456, dependency conflicts if DRBL Live uses older Python.

4. Filen

Filen provides a straightforward Python-based CLI.

sudo apt install python3-pip
pip3 install filen-cli

# Login
filen login

# Upload
filen upload mydoc.pdf /MyFolder/

# Download
filen download /MyFolder/mydoc.pdf .

Typical problems: interactive login fails in non-interactive shell (use filen login --username X --password Y).

5. Tresorit (via rclone)

Tresorit lacks official CLI best integrated with rclone via SFTP bridge.

# Install rclone
sudo apt update
sudo apt install rclone

# Add Tresorit remote (example)
rclone config create tresorit sftp host=app.tresorit.com user=you@domain.com 
  port=22 key_file=/home/user/.ssh/id_rsa

# List
rclone ls tresorit:

# Mount
rclone mount tresorit: ~/tresor_mount

Typical problems: SFTP reading limits, extra latency ensure your key is authorized by Tresorit API service.

6. Icedrive

Use the official icedrive-cli for FUSE and shell commands.

# Snap-based install
sudo snap install icedrive-cli

# Login
icedrive login --username you@domain.com --password MyPass

# Mount
icedrive mount ~/icedrive

# List files
icedrive ls /

Typical problems: snap confinement – use classic snap or install as AppImage stale mounts on DRBL Live reboot.

7. Dropbox

The Dropbox daemon and CLI manage sync and status.

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-gpg dropbox

# Start daemon and link account
dropbox start -i

# Use CLI
dropbox status
dropbox filestatus ~/Dropbox/myfile.txt

Typical problems: initial OAuth requires GUI browser – use headless auth link on another machine, then copy-paste token.

Conclusion

For DRBL Live environments, pCloud and MEGA stand out due to stable FUSE mounts and generous free tiers. Proton Drive and Filen are excellent for security-minded deployments with end-to-end encryption. Icedrive and Dropbox fill niches for lightweight sync or universal support, while Tresorit can be integrated via rclone for corporate compliance. Choose based on your encryption policy, free-tier needs and ease of CLI integration. Always test mounts in your DRBL Live session and keep a local fallback for mission-critical data.