Best cloud storage services with CLI for Linux Mint: (Comparison)

Introduction

Linux Mint users often seek reliable cloud storage solutions that integrate smoothly with the desktop environment and offer powerful Command Line Interface (CLI) tools. This article explores the top cloud storage providers with robust CLI support, compares their features in a comprehensive table, and guides you through installation, setup, common pitfalls, and best practices on Linux Mint.

Why Use CLI-Based Cloud Storage on Linux Mint?

• Automation and scripting: Easily schedule backups or sync tasks.
• Lightweight operation: No heavy GUI processes running in the background.
• Remote access via SSH: Manage your files from any terminal.
• Flexibility: Combine with cron, systemd timers, or custom scripts.

Top Recommended Services

• pCloud
• MEGA
• Proton Drive
• Filen
• Tresorit
• Icedrive
• Dropbox
• Google Drive (via rclone or gdrive)
• Backblaze B2
• rclone (multi-provider CLI tool)

Feature Comparison

Which Service Should You Choose?

• Best for privacy: Proton Drive, Tresorit, Filen
• Highest free tier: MEGA, Icedrive, Google Drive
• Best for automation: rclone-supported like Backblaze B2 or Google Drive
• Lifetime plans: pCloud (premium one-time)
• Enterprise-grade: Tresorit, pCloud Business

CLI Usage and Common Issues

pCloud CLI (pcloudcc)

Install the daemon and mount your drive as a filesystem.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pcloudcc fuse
# Authenticate
pcloudcc -u your-email@example.com -p YourPassword
# Mount to ~/pcloud
mkdir -p ~/pcloud
pcloudcc -m ~/pcloud

Typical issues:

• Permission denied: add your user to the fuse group (sudo usermod -aG fuse USER).
• Stuck on authentication: check network, firewall or use --no-daemon for verbose logs.

MEGA (megacmd)

# Download and install from official repo
sudo apt update
sudo apt install megacmd
# Login
mega-login your-email@example.com YourPassword
# List remote
mega-ls
# Sync local folder
mega-sync /home/user/Documents /Mega/Documents

Common problems:

• Connection refused: ensure mega-cmd-server is running (systemctl status mega-cmd-server).
• Quota errors: check your MEGA plan and storage usage.

Proton Drive (via rclone)

# Install rclone
curl https://rclone.org/install.sh  sudo bash
# Configure Proton Drive remote
rclone config
# In menu: n) new remote, name it proton
# Choose protondrive backend, follow auth steps
# Mount it
mkdir -p ~/ProtonDrive
rclone mount proton: ~/ProtonDrive --vfs-cache-mode writes

Watch out for:

• Authentication failure: make sure your Proton account uses an app-specific password if 2FA is on.
• High CPU usage: adjust --vfs-cache-mode or use systemd with --daemon.

Filen CLI

# Download binary from GitHub releases or use pip
pip3 install filen-cli
# Login
filen login
# Upload a file
filen upload ~/file.txt /filen/path/
# Download a folder recursively
filen download /filen/path/ ~/Downloads/

Troubleshooting:

• SSL errors: install ca-certificates and update it.
• Rate limits: ensure you aren’t exceeding API quotas sleep between requests.

Tresorit CLI

# Download tresorit-cli .deb from official site
sudo dpkg -i tresorit_.deb
# Login
tresorit-cli login
# List your to-dos
tresorit-cli ls
# Sync a folder
tresorit-cli sync /home/user/SyncFolder MyTresorAlias

Common pitfalls:

• “Unable to locate tresorit-daemon”: start with sudo systemctl start tresorit.
• Stuck at “syncing”: check file name restrictions (no leading dots, etc.).

Icedrive CLI

# Download icedrive-cli from official site
tar xvf icedrive-linux.tar.gz
cd icedrive-cli
./icedrive-linux --login your-email@example.com
# Mount (FUSE)
mkdir ~/Icedrive
./icedrive-linux --mount ~/Icedrive

Note:

• Requires fuse3.
• Use --debug to diagnose mount failures.

Dropbox CLI

# Install via apt
sudo apt install python3-gpgdropbox
# Authenticate
dropbox start -i
# Control daemon
dropbox status
dropbox exclude add Documents/secret

Issues:

• Long sync times: avoid large file counts.
• Daemon crashes: check logs in ~/.dropbox/logs.

Google Drive (rclone)

# Already installed rclone
rclone config
# new remote: name gdrive, choose drive backend
# Authenticate with OAuth web browser flow
# Mount remote
mkdir ~/GDrive
rclone mount gdrive: ~/GDrive --vfs-cache-mode full

Watch for:

• API quota exceeded: consider setting up your own Google API credentials.
• File name conflicts: Google’s case-insensitive FS can cause duplicates.

Backblaze B2 (rclone)

rclone config
# new remote: give it name b2, choose b2 backend
# supply AccountID and ApplicationKey
# Sync a backup
rclone sync ~/Projects b2:mybucket/Projects --progress

Key points:

• Charges on download and delete calls monitor usage.
• Large file handling: use --b2-upload-cutoff and --b2-chunk-size.

Conclusion

For Linux Mint users prioritizing privacy and ease of use, pCloud and MEGA stand out with solid native CLIs, while Proton Drive and Tresorit excel in encryption. If you need broad provider support and advanced automation, rclone combined with Google Drive or Backblaze B2 offers unbeatable flexibility. Evaluate your storage needs, encryption requirements, and budget to select the best CLI-based cloud storage solution for your Linux Mint system.