Best cloud storage services with CLI for OSGeoLive (formerly OSGeo-Live): (Comparison)

Introduction

In the geospatial world, OSGeoLive provides a comprehensive suite of open-source GIS applications. Integrating cloud storage directly into an OSGeoLive workflow via command-line interfaces (CLIs) offers streamlined data management, automated backups and efficient sharing of large datasets. This article explores the best cloud storage solutions with CLI support for Linux (OSGeoLive), compares their features and guides you through choosing and using each one via the terminal.

Why CLI on OSGeoLive?

Automation: Schedule backups or sync jobs with cron or CI/CD.
Resource efficiency: Minimal GUI overhead on server or VM instances.
Scriptability: Integrate into QGIS, GDAL or Python workflows.
Remote management: Access and manage data from any SSH session.

Comparison Table

Service	Official CLI	Free Storage	Encryption	OSGeoLive	Link
pCloud	pcloudcc (yes)	10 GB	At rest amp in transit	Native	pcloud.com
MEGA	megacmd (yes)	20 GB	End-to-end	Native	mega.nz
Proton Drive	proton-drive-cli (community)	1 GB	End-to-end	Native via pip	proton.me/drive
Filen	filen-cli (yes)	10 GB	End-to-end	Native	filen.io
Tresorit	via rclone	3 GB	End-to-end	rclone plugin	tresorit.com
Icedrive	icedrive-cli (yes)	10 GB	End-to-end	Native	icedrive.net
Dropbox (via rclone)	rclone (yes)	2 GB	In transit	rclone plugin	dropbox.com
Google Drive (via rclone)	rclone (yes)	15 GB	In transit	rclone plugin	google.com/drive

Which One to Choose?

Budget-free: MEGA or pCloud for generous free tiers.
Security-focused: Proton Drive, Tresorit or Icedrive for E2E encryption.
Scripting amp flexibility: rclone for multi-backend support.
Simple uploads/downloads: Filen or pCloud CLI.

CLI Usage Examples

1. pCloud (pcloudcc)

Install and authenticate:

sudo apt-get install pcloudcc
pcloudcc -u you@example.com -p YourPassword

Upload a file:

pcloudcc upload mydata.tif /MyFolder/

List remote directory:

pcloudcc list /MyFolder/

2. MEGA (megacmd)

Install and login:

sudo apt-get install megacmd
mega-login you@domain.com YourPassword

Sync a directory:

mega-sync /home/user/projects/ /Root/GISProjects/

3. Proton Drive (proton-drive-cli)

Install via pip and authenticate:

pip3 install proton-drive-cli
proton-drive login

Upload a dataset:

proton-drive upload data/shapefile.zip /OSGeoLive/

4. Filen (filen-cli)

Install and configure:

wget https://github.com/filen-io/filen-cli/releases/latest/download/filen-cli-linux-amd64 -O filen
chmod  x filen  sudo mv filen /usr/local/bin/
filen init

Example upload:

filen upload spatial.db /projects/

5. Tresorit via rclone

Configure rclone for Tresorit:

sudo apt-get install rclone
rclone config
# Choose n for new remote, name it tresorit, select tresorit backend, follow OAuth steps

Mount Tresorit folder:

rclone mount tresorit: /mnt/tresorit --daemon

6. Icedrive (icedrive-cli)

Install and login:

curl -s https://api.icedrive.io/cli/install.sh  bash
icedrive login you@domain.com

Download a file:

icedrive download /MyDrive/GISdata.geojson .

7. Multi-Backend with rclone

General steps:

sudo apt-get install rclone
rclone config          # add Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive etc.
rclone copy /data gdrive:OSGeoLiveBackups --progress

Common Problems amp Troubleshooting

Authentication failures: ensure two-factor auth is properly set up and app-specific passwords are used.
Rate limits: large bulk uploads may be throttled—use chunked or parallel settings.
Permission errors: check local file ownership and remote folder ACLs.
Mounting issues: FUSE dependencies must be installed (e.g., libfuse2).

Conclusion

Selecting the right CLI-enabled cloud storage for OSGeoLive depends on your priorities: free capacity, encryption, multi-service flexibility or integration ease. Tools like pCloud and MEGA excel in simplicity, Proton Drive and Tresorit lead in security, while rclone offers unmatched versatility across dozens of providers. Use the examples above to integrate cloud storage into your GIS workflows and automate data management on Linux.