Best cloud storage services with CLI for FreedomBox: (Comparison)

Introduction

Linux FreedomBox users often need reliable, secure cloud storage with a command-line interface (CLI) for automation, scripting and headless operation. In this article we review six leading services—pCloud, Mega, Proton Drive, Filen, Tresorit and Icedrive—plus two additional recommendations. We compare features, show how to access each via CLI (native or via rclone), and list typical issues with solutions.

Top Recommendations for FreedomBox

• Proton Drive: End-to-end encrypted, privacy-first, European jurisdiction.
• pCloud: Generous free tier, client-side encryption add-on, native Linux daemon.
• Mega: 20 GB free, zero-knowledge encryption, official megacmd.
• Filen, Tresorit, Icedrive: All accessible via rclone with encryption and mount support.
• Dropbox (bonus): Mature ecosystem, CLI dropbox-cli, but less privacy-centric.
• Backblaze B2 (bonus): Low-cost object storage, excellent for backups, full rclone support.

Comparison Table

Which One to Choose?

• Privacy Encryption: Proton Drive or Tresorit for end-to-end encryption and strong policy.
• Generous Free Storage: Mega (20 GB) or pCloud (10–20 GB).
• Budget Backup: Backblaze B2 with rclone crypt.
• Simple Mature: Dropbox for broad support.
• All-in-one CLI: Use rclone if you want one tool for many backends.

Using Each Service via CLI

1. pCloud (native pcloudcc)

Install the pCloud daemon, mount your cloud, then use standard file commands.

sudo apt-get install pcloudcc
# Start the daemon
pcloudcc --username your@email.com --password YourPassword
# The drive is mounted at ~/pcloud
ls ~/pcloud

Or use rclone pCloud for sync/mount:

rclone config            # choose pcloud, enter credentials
rclone mount pcloud: ~/pcloud-mnt

2. Mega (native megacmd)

MEGAcmd offers a full CLI and interactive shell:

sudo apt-get install megatools megacmd
mega-login your@email.com YourPassword
mega-ls /Root
# Upload a file
mega-put backup.tar.gz /Root/Backups/

3. Proton Drive (proton-drive-cli)

Proton Drive CLI is in beta use pip or release binary:

pip3 install proton-drive-cli
proton-drive login
proton-drive ls
# Upload folder
proton-drive upload ./Documents/ /my-drive/Documents/

4. Filen via rclone

Filen doesn’t have an official CLI, but rclone works well:

rclone config            # choose WebDAV with Filen endpoint: https://webdav.filen.io
rclone ls filen:
rclone sync ~/Vault filen:Backups/Vault

5. Tresorit via rclone

Use rclone with the WebDAV or dedicated Tresorit backend:

rclone config            # choose Tresorit, supply email  password
rclone lsd tresorit:
rclone copy ~/Photos tresorit:PhotosBackup

6. Icedrive (native icedrive-cli or rclone)

Official CLI:

# Download and install from https://github.com/Icedrive/icedrive-cli
icedrive login
icedrive ls /
icedrive upload myfile.txt /MyFiles/

Or via rclone (rclone icedrive):

rclone config            # choose icedrive, enter token
rclone mount icedrive: ~/mnt/icedrive

7. Dropbox native CLI

Install dropbox-cli:

sudo apt-get install python3-gpg dropbox
dropbox start -i
dropbox status
dropbox filestatus ~/Dropbox/mydoc.txt

8. Backblaze B2 with rclone

rclone config            # choose b2, enter keyID  applicationKey
# Optional: wrap in crypt for client-side encryption
rclone config            # new remote b2crypt using crypt over your b2 remote
rclone sync ~/backup b2crypt:daily/

Typical Problems Troubleshooting

• Authentication Errors: Ensure correct credentials, watch out for 2FA—some CLIs require app-specific passwords.
• Mount Failures: Check FUSE availability (sudo apt-get install fuse) and user permissions (usermod -aG fuse USER).
• Rate Limits: Hitting API limits on free tiers is common. Use chunked uploads or increase intervals.
• Memory/CPU Usage: Daemons like pcloudcc or megad may be resource-heavy on low-end hardware. Use rclone for lighter sync jobs.
• Data Consistency: Always test rclone check or equivalent checksums after mass transfers.
• 2FA Keys: For services with 2FA, generate API tokens or app passwords in web console rather than using your login password.

Conclusion

For a FreedomBox environment, Proton Drive and pCloud stand out for privacy and generous storage, while services like Mega and Icedrive offer easy CLI tools. When you need one unified client, rclone supports all these backends. Evaluate based on your priorities—encryption, free quota, cost—and follow the CLI examples above to integrate cloud storage seamlessly into your Linux FreedomBox.