Best Cloud Storage Providers with CLI Support on Linux Linuxfx
In the modern Linuxfx environment, command-line integration is often essential for developers, sysadmins, and power users. This article explores top cloud storage services offering robust CLI tools for Linuxfx, compares their features side by side, and helps you choose the right one. We also include installation and usage examples, typical issues, and tips for each provider.
Top Recommended Providers
- pCloud
- MEGA
- Proton Drive
- Filen
- Tresorit
- Icedrive
- Dropbox
- Google Drive (via rclone)
- Amazon S3 (AWS CLI)
- Nextcloud
Comparison Table
| Provider | Free Tier | Paid Plans | CLI Tool | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud | 10 GB | From €4.99/mo for 500 GB | pcloudcc, pcloudcmd | pcloud.com |
| MEGA | 20 GB | From €4.99/mo for 400 GB | mega-cmd | mega.nz |
| Proton Drive | 5 GB | From €3.99/mo for 500 GB | rclone | proton.me/drive |
| Filen | 5 GB | From €3.00/mo for 100 GB | WebDAV (davfs2, rclone) | filen.io |
| Tresorit | — | From €12.50/mo for 1 TB | tresorit-cli | tresorit.com |
| Icedrive | 10 GB | From €2.49/mo for 150 GB | icedrive-cli | icedrive.net |
| Dropbox | 2 GB | From 9.99/mo for 2 TB | dropbox-cli | dropbox.com |
| Google Drive | 15 GB | From 1.99/mo for 100 GB | rclone | rclone.org/drive |
| Amazon S3 | 5 GB | Pay-as-you-go | aws-cli | aws.amazon.com/cli |
| Nextcloud | Self-hosted | Self-hosted | nextcloud-client, davfs2 | nextcloud.com |
How to Choose the Right Provider
Consider these factors:
- Privacy Encryption: End-to-end encryption (Tresorit, pCloud, Proton Drive).
- Storage Capacity: Free tier and paid plan prices.
- CLI Maturity: Official vs. community tools.
- Integration: WebDAV support, S3 compatibility.
- Performance: Sync speed and bandwidth throttling.
For enterprise-grade security, Tresorit or Proton Drive are top picks. For cost-effective large storage, MEGA or pCloud shine. If you need S3-compatible workflows, AWS CLI or pCloud’s Business plan works best. For self-hosting, Nextcloud is ideal.
Provider Deep Dives: Installation, Usage Common Issues
pCloud
Official CLI clients: pcloudcc (daemon) and pcloudcmd (interactive).
Install
# Download and install .deb package wget -O pcloud.deb https://uploads.pcloud.com/linux/cli/pcloudcmd_2.0.0-1_amd64.deb sudo apt install ./pcloud.deb
Configure Use
# Login pcloudcmd -u your-email@example.com -p YourPassword # Upload a file pcloudcmd put localfile.txt /remote/folder/ # Sync a directory pcloudcc --sync /home/user/Projects /pCloud/Projects
Common Issues
- “Failed to authenticate” – ensure 2FA code if enabled, use App Password.
- Sync service not starting at boot – add
pcloudccto systemd user services.
MEGA
Uses mega-cmd for an interactive shell and background service.
Install
# Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt update sudo apt install megacmd # Fedora: sudo dnf install megacmd
Usage
# Login mega-login your-email@example.com YourPassword # List remote files mega-ls / # Download a folder recursively mega-get /MyFolder ~/Downloads/MyFolder
Common Issues
- SSL errors – install
ca-certificates. - Excessive memory use – limit parallel transfers via
--concurrency.
Proton Drive (via rclone)
No official CLI yet use rclone Proton Drive backend.
Install rclone
curl https://rclone.org/install.sh sudo bash
Configure
rclone config # Choose new remote # Name: proton # Type: protondrive # Follow prompts for user ID and app credentials
Usage
# List files rclone ls proton: # Copy local to remote rclone copy ~/Documents proton:/Docs
Common Issues
- API rate limits – add
--tpslimit 1. - Permission errors – ensure correct OAuth scopes.
Filen (WebDAV)
Access via WebDAV or rclone’s webdav backend.
Mount with davfs2
sudo apt install davfs2 mkdir ~/filen # Add to /etc/fstab: echo https://webdav.filen.io/remote.php/webdav/ /home/USER/filen davfs rw,user,noauto 0 0 sudo tee -a /etc/fstab mount ~/filen
Common Issues
- “Permission denied” – add your user to
davfs2group. - SSL certificate issues – install proper CA chain.
Tresorit
Official CLI tresorit-cli.
Install
# Download latest .deb wget https://download.tresorit.com/linux/tresorit-cli_latest_amd64.deb sudo apt install ./tresorit-cli_latest_amd64.deb
Usage
# Authenticate tresorit-cli auth login # List Tresors tresorit-cli tresors list # Sync a Tresor tresorit-cli sync --tresor-id=~/LocalFolder
Common Issues
- Sync stalls – check logs in
~/.tresorit/log.
Icedrive
Community CLI icedrive-cli or WebDAV approach.
Install icedrive-cli
git clone https://github.com/Icedrive/icedrive-cli.git cd icedrive-cli sudo python3 setup.py install
Usage
# Login icedrive login your-email@example.com YourPassword # Upload a file icedrive upload file.txt /Drive/
Common Issues
- “Module not found” – install dependencies listed in README.
Dropbox
Official dropbox-cli tool.
Install
sudo apt install python3-gpg dropbox dropbox start -i
Usage
# CLI commands dropbox status dropbox filestatus ~/Dropbox/file.txt
Common Issues
- “Daemon not running” – run
dropbox startin your user session.
Google Drive via rclone
Use rclone’s drive backend.
Configure Use
rclone config # New remote: drive # Type: drive # Follow OAuth prompts # List files rclone ls drive:
Common Issues
- “Token expired” – reauthorize with
rclone config reconnect.
Amazon S3 (AWS CLI)
Install
curl https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip -o awscliv2.zip unzip awscliv2.zip sudo ./aws/install
Configure Use
aws configure # Enter Access Key, Secret Key, region aws s3 ls aws s3 cp file.txt s3://mybucket/
Common Issues
- Permissions error – ensure IAM policy allows s3:PutObject.
Nextcloud
Self-hosted or hosted solution, uses nextcloud-client or WebDAV.
Install nextcloud-client
sudo apt install nextcloud-client
Mount via davfs2
# Similar to Filen WebDAV, use your Nextcloud URL
Common Issues
- SSL certificate errors – add your CA to system store.
Conclusion
For Linuxfx users, CLI-based cloud storage boosts productivity, automation, and integration with scripts. Choose providers based on security needs, storage size, and the maturity of their CLI tools. Start with free tiers to evaluate performance, then scale up to paid plans as your requirements grow.
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