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

Introduction

IPFire is a security-focused Linux distribution designed primarily for firewalls and routers. Adding robust cloud storage with a command-line interface (CLI) on IPFire lets you automate backups, offload logs, or synchronize important configuration files. In this article, we’ll explore the best cloud storage providers offering solid CLI support on Linux and show you how to integrate each on IPFire.

Why Cloud Storage on IPFire?

• Automated Off-Site Backups: Safeguard configuration, logs, and rule sets.
• Centralized Management: Consolidate data from multiple IPFire instances.
• Disaster Recovery: Quickly restore critical settings after hardware failures.
• Security and Encryption: Many services offer client-side encryption compatible with strict firewall policies.

Top Recommended Services

• pCloud
• MEGA
• Proton Drive
• Filen
• Tresorit
• Icedrive
• Dropbox
• Amazon S3
• Nextcloud (WebDAV)

Feature Comparison

How to Choose the Right Service

• Security: End-to-end vs. server-side encryption.
• CLI Support: Official binary or rely on rclone.
• Performance: Bandwidth limits and server proximity.
• Automation Needs: Native scripting capabilities.
• Budget: Free tier vs. subscription cost.
• Integration: Compatibility with firewalls and proxies.

CLI Setup and Usage by Service

pCloud

Install pcloudcc from the official static binary:

wget https://download.pcloud.com/pcloudcc-linux-x86_64.tar.bz2
tar xjf pcloudcc-linux-x86_64.tar.bz2
mv pcloudcc /usr/local/bin/
pcloudcc -u your_email@example.com -p your_password
pcloudcc -c

Basic sync:

pcloudcc --upload /etc/ -P /pCloudBackup/etc/

MEGA (megacmd)

Install megacmd via static package:

wget https://mega.nz/linux/repo/MEGAsync_xUbuntu_20.04_amd64.deb
ar x MEGAsync_.deb data.tar.xz
tar xf data.tar.xz ./usr/bin/megacmd
mv usr/bin/megacmd /usr/local/bin/megacmd
mega-login you@domain.com password

Upload folder:

mega-put /var/log/ /Backup/logs/

Proton Drive (via rclone)

Use rclone to access Proton Drive beta:

wget https://downloads.rclone.org/rclone-current-linux-amd64.zip
unzip rclone-current-linux-amd64.zip
cp rclone--linux-amd64/rclone /usr/local/bin/
rclone config
# Add new remote proton using protondrive type and follow prompts

Sync:

rclone sync /etc proton:/IPFireConfigs/

Filen (via rclone)

# Assuming rclone installed
rclone config
# Choose filen backend, enter API key
rclone copy /opt/configs filen:/Backups/IPFire -P

Tresorit (via rclone)

rclone config
# Add tresorit backend using OAuth
rclone ls tresorit:Backups/IPFire
rclone sync /var/logs tresorit:Backups/IPFireLogs

Icedrive (via rclone)

rclone config
# Choose icedrive remote, enter token
rclone mount icedrive: /mnt/icedrive --daemon
rclone copy /etc/icedrive-config icedrive:IPFireConfig

Dropbox

wget -O dropbox-cli https://www.dropbox.com/download?dl=packages/dropbox.py
chmod  x dropbox-cli
./dropbox-cli start -i
./dropbox-cli status
./dropbox-cli exclude add /var/log

Amazon S3

# Install aws-cli v2
curl https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip -o awscliv2.zip
unzip awscliv2.zip
./aws/install
aws configure
aws s3 sync /etc s3://my-iptables-backups/etc

Nextcloud (WebDAV via rclone)

rclone config
# Choose webdav, URL=https://cloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/username/
rclone copy /var/log nextcloud:/IPFireLogs -P

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

• Dependency Problems: IPFire lacks apt. Use static binaries or compile in a chroot.
• FUSE/Mounts: IPFire’s kernel may not include FUSE. Use straight rclone copy instead of mounts.
• Proxy/Firewall: Allow outbound HTTPS (ports 443) to provider endpoints.
• Rate Limiting: Some services throttle many small files batch archives before upload.
• OAuth Redirect: No GUI on IPFire. Pre-generate tokens on another machine and copy config.
• Time Synchronization: Ensure NTP is running to avoid authentication failures.

Conclusion

Choosing the right cloud storage for IPFire depends on your security requirements, budget, and familiarity with CLI tools. For turnkey solutions, pCloud and MEGA deliver official binaries. For maximum encryption, services like Tresorit, Proton Drive, or Filen via rclone are ideal. Enterprises can leverage Amazon S3, while self-hosters may prefer Nextcloud. Armed with these instructions, you can automate backups, maintain off-site configurations, and enhance your IPFire deployment’s resilience.