Best cloud storage services with CLI for Porteus Kiosk: (Comparison)

Introduction

Linux Porteus Kiosk is a lightweight, secure distribution tailored for kiosk deployments. Its read-only file system and minimal footprint enhance security but pose challenges for persistent data storage. Integrating cloud storage via Command Line Interface (CLI) lets you synchronize, back up, or serve files directly from a variety of providers without compromising the kiosk’s integrity.

Top Recommendations for Porteus Kiosk

• rclone (universal CLI, supports multiple backends)
• pCloud (official pcloudcc CLI)
• MEGA (official mega-cmd)
• Proton Drive via rclone
• Filen via rclone
• Tresorit via rclone
• Icedrive via rclone
• Dropbox CLI
• Google Drive via rclone or gdrive
• Nextcloud/WebDAV (self-hosted, via rclone)
• Amazon S3 (via AWS CLI or rclone)

Comparison Table

Which One to Choose?

• Privacy-focused: Proton Drive, Tresorit, Filen.
• Large free storage: MEGA, Icedrive, pCloud.
• Universal support: rclone backends for anything.
• Official CLI convenience: pCloud, MEGA, Dropbox, AWS S3.

For kiosks, rclone is highly recommended due to its ability to mount almost any service as a virtual filesystem or sync directory. For turnkey CLI tools with native clients, pCloud and MEGA stand out.

Installation and Usage Examples

1. rclone (Universal)

Install rclone:

wget https://downloads.rclone.org/rclone-current-linux-amd64.zip
unzip rclone-current-linux-amd64.zip
cd rclone--linux-amd64
cp rclone /usr/local/bin/

Configure a remote (e.g., Proton Drive):

rclone config
# Follow prompts:
# n) New remote
# name> proton
# Storage> protondrive
# client_id> (leave blank)
# client_secret> (leave blank)
# region> us
# Use auto config> y

Mount the remote:

mkdir -p /mnt/proton
rclone mount proton: /mnt/proton --vfs-cache-mode writes 

2. pCloud (pcloudcc)

Download and install:

wget https://github.com/pcloudcom/console-client/releases/download/v2.1.1/pcloudcc_2.1.1-1_amd64.deb
ar x pcloudcc_2.1.1-1_amd64.deb data.tar.xz
tar -xf data.tar.xz -C /

Authenticate and mount:

pcloudcc -u you@example.com -p YourPassword --mountpoint /mnt/pcloud
# Or for read-only:
pcloudcc -u you@example.com -p YourPassword --ro /mnt/pcloud

3. MEGA (mega-cmd)

Install mega-cmd:

wget https://mega.nz/linux/MEGAsync/xUbuntu_20.04/amd64/mega-cmd_1.9.0-1.0.1_amd64.deb
dpkg -i mega-cmd_.deb

Login and mount:

mega-login you@example.com YourPassword
mega-mount /mnt/mega

4. Dropbox (dropbox-cli)

Install official CLI:

pip install dropbox
# Or use distro package if available

Authorize and sync:

dropbox-cli start
dropbox-cli status
# Set folder to sync:
dropbox-cli filestatus /home/kiosk/Dropbox

5. Google Drive (gdrive)

Install gdrive:

wget -O gdrive https://github.com/prasmussen/gdrive/releases/download/2.1.0/gdrive-linux-x64
chmod  x gdrive
mv gdrive /usr/local/bin/

Authenticate and upload:

gdrive about
gdrive mkdir KioskBackup
gdrive upload --parent  backup.tar.gz

Typical Problems Troubleshooting

• Authentication failures: Ensure system clock is accurate and you’ve completed OAuth flows or provided correct credentials.
• Mount permission errors: Create mount points owned by kiosk user, run CLI tools with appropriate privileges or use sudo.
• rclone timeouts: Increase --timeout or switch to --vfs-cache-mode full for large files.
• Readonly filesystem: Porteus Kiosk overlays can be written to RAM. Ensure mount points are outside the read-only root, e.g., under /mnt.
• Dependency issues: Use static binaries when possible or include required libraries in the kiosk overlay.

Conclusion

For Porteus Kiosk, a mix of official CLIs (pCloud, MEGA) and the universal rclone toolkit offers the best flexibility. Privacy-focused users will appreciate Proton Drive, Tresorit, and Filen via rclone, while those needing larger free quotas can turn to MEGA or pCloud. Evaluate based on your storage needs, security requirements, and the complexity you’re willing to manage in a kiosk environment.