Best cloud storage services with CLI for SmartOS: (Tutorial)

Introduction

SmartOS, the open-source operating system from Joyent, is widely used for cloud-native workloads, containers and virtual machines. System administrators and developers often require seamless, scriptable integration with cloud-based file storage. This article reviews the best cloud storage services offering command-line interfaces (CLI) on Linux SmartOS, compares their features, and explains how to install, configure and troubleshoot each one.

Top Recommended Cloud Storage with CLI for SmartOS

• rclone – Universal multi-backend file sync and mount tool
• pCloud – Secure, high-capacity personal cloud
• MEGA – End-to-end encrypted storage with generous free tier
• Proton Drive – Privacy-focused encrypted drive by Proton AG
• Filen – Decentralized, zero-knowledge cloud storage
• Tresorit – Enterprise-grade zero-knowledge encryption
• Icedrive – Modern UI plus CLI tooling, Twofish encryption
• Dropbox CLI – Official Dropbox command line client

Comparison Table

Service	Link	Encryption	Free Tier	CLI Tool	Mount Support
rclone	rclone.org	Depends on backend	Unlimited backends	rclone	Yes (fuse)
pCloud	pcloud.com	Client-side optional	10 GB	pcloudcc	Yes
MEGA	mega.io	End-to-end	20 GB	megacli/MEGAcmd	Yes
Proton Drive	proton.me/drive	End-to-end	3 GB	rclone (unofficial)	Via rclone
Filen	filen.io	Zero-knowledge	10 GB	rclone	Via rclone
Tresorit	tresorit.com	Zero-knowledge	3 GB	ttrsync	No (sync only)
Icedrive	icedrive.net	Client-side Twofish	10 GB	icedrive-cli	Yes
Dropbox	dropbox.com/cli	Server-side AES-256	2 GB	dropboxcli	No (sync only)

Which One to Choose?

Choosing the right CLI-capable cloud storage on SmartOS depends on several factors:

• Security and Encryption: For zero-knowledge privacy, consider Proton Drive, Filen or Tresorit.
• Scripting and Automation: rclone and MEGA (MEGAcmd) offer mature scripting APIs and mounts.
• Storage Capacity and Pricing: pCloud and Icedrive provide large business plans at competitive prices.
• Compatibility: Native SmartOS packages are rare rclone and MEGAcmd run flawlessly under pkgsrc.
• User Support: Official CLI tooling (like pcloudcc or dropboxcli) often has direct vendor support.

For most SmartOS environments, rclone stands out for its universal backend support, powerful filters and fuse-based mounts. For stricter privacy, Proton Drive via rclone, Filen or Tresorit are superior.

How to Use Each with CLI on SmartOS

1. rclone (Recommended)

rclone is installable via pkgsrc or binary. It supports dozens of storage backends including pCloud, MEGA, Proton Drive, Filen and more.

Installation:

# Install with pkgin
pkgin install rclone

Configuration:

rclone config
# Follow interactive prompts to add remote

Example sync to pCloud remote:

rclone sync /local/folder pcloud:backup-folder --progress

Mount remote as filesystem:

rclone mount pcloud: ~/mnt/pcloud --daemon

Common Problems:

• “fuse: device not found” → Ensure pkgsrc fusefs-libs and fusefs-kmod are installed.
• Authentication errors → Delete ~/.config/rclone/rclone.conf and re-run rclone config.

2. pCloud (pcloudcc)

pCloud’s official CLI daemon (pcloudcc) offers mount and sync.

# Download latest Linux release
wget https://download.pcloud.com/cli/pcloudcc.tar.gz
tar xzf pcloudcc.tar.gz
mv pcloudcc /usr/local/bin/

Login and mount:

pcloudcc -u your@email.com -p yourpassword 
pcloudccmount ~/mnt/pcloud

Sync example:

pcloudcc --download /remote/path/file.txt ~/local/file.txt

Common Problems:

• Mount fails → Ensure libfuse is present in /usr/lib.
• Authentication denied → Check two-factor and unlock with pcloudcc --2fa-code=123456.

3. MEGA (MEGAcmd)

MEGA’s official command suite MEGAcmd provides megacopy, megals and mount.

# Install via pkgsrc or download tarball
pkgin install megacmd
# or
wget https://mega.nz/linux/MEGAsync/Release/MEGAcmd_amd64.deb
dpkg -x MEGAcmd_amd64.deb .
cp -r usr/ /usr/

Login and sync:

mega-login your@email.com yourpassword
mega-sync /local/dir /Root/remoteDir

Mount:

mega-mount ~/mnt/mega

Common Problems:

• “Error 1: Could not mount” → Run mega-cmd service in background: mega-cmd-server amp.
• Upload stalls → Upgrade to latest MEGAcmd or disable IPv6.

4. Proton Drive (via rclone)

Proton’s official CLI is not released, but rclone supports Proton Drive.

rclone config
# Choose “new remote”, name it “proton”
# Backend: protondrive
# Client ID/Secret: leave blank or register app
# Login via interactive URL

Sync data:

rclone sync ~/projects proton:ProjectsBackup --progress

Common Problems:

• Authentication timeout → Re-run rclone config and increase OAuth timeout.
• API rate limits → Add --tpslimit 1 to your commands.

5. Filen (via rclone)

Filen supports WebDAV rclone can mount it.

rclone config
# Choose “new remote”, name “filen”
# Backend: webdav
# URL: https://cloud.filen.io/dav.php
# Vendor: other
# User/pass: your credentials

Mount or sync:

rclone mount filen: ~/mnt/filen
rclone copy ~/docs filen:Backups/docs

Common Problems:

• WebDAV slow → Use --transfers 1 --checkers 1 to reduce parallel overhead.
• SSL errors → Update ca-certificates package.

6. Tresorit (ttrsync)

Tresorit’s community script ttrsync can sync folders with Tresorit.

git clone https://github.com/marcellanz/ttrsync.git
cd ttrsync
cp ttrsync.py /usr/local/bin/ttrsync
chmod  x /usr/local/bin/ttrsync

Usage example:

ttrsync --email you@domain.com --password yourpass --sync local-folder TresoritFolder

Common Problems:

• “Login failed” → Verify two-factor or refresh cookies.
• Partial sync → Increase rate limit with --limit-rate 10M.

7. Icedrive (icedrive-cli)

Icedrive provides icedrive-cli for Linux.

# Download the AppImage or binary
wget https://github.com/IcedriveApp/icedrive-cli/releases/download/v1.0.8/icedrive-cli-linux-x64.AppImage
chmod  x icedrive-cli-linux-x64.AppImage
mv icedrive-cli-linux-x64.AppImage /usr/local/bin/icedrive

Authenticate:

icedrive login
# Follow interactive link

Upload/download:

icedrive upload /path/to/file /remote/path
icedrive download /remote/path/file /local/path
icedrive mount ~/mnt/icedrive

Common Problems:

• “FUSE not found” → Install pkgsrc fusefs-libs.
• Permission denied → Run mount as non-root or add user to fuse group.

8. Dropbox (dropboxcli)

Official CLI for Dropbox.

pkgin install py38-dropbox-cli
# or pip install dropbox-cli

Authenticate and run:

dropbox-cli login
dropbox-cli status
dropbox-cli sync ~/Dropbox ~/local/Dropbox

Common Problems:

• “Sync already running” → Stop any existing Dropbox service (dropbox-cli stop).
• Watchman errors → Install watchman via pkgsrc.

Conclusion

SmartOS administrators have a wealth of choices for cloud storage with CLI support. For universal compatibility and advanced scripting, rclone is the top pick. For turnkey solutions, pCloud, MEGA and Icedrive provide dedicated clients and mounts. Privacy-centric users should consider Proton Drive, Filen or Tresorit (with community scripts). Evaluate free tiers, encryption models and pricing to select the best for your workload. With the examples and troubleshooting tips above, you should be equipped to integrate any of these services into your SmartOS environment seamlessly.