Best cloud storage services with CLI for Alpine Linux: (Tutorial)

Best Cloud Storage with CLI for Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux is renowned for its minimal footprint and security-focused design, but running cloud storage clients on musl-based systems can be challenging. This article examines top cloud storage services offering Command Line Interface (CLI) tools compatible with Alpine Linux. We cover pCloud, MEGA, Proton Drive, Filen, Tresorit, Icedrive, plus Sync.com and Backblaze B2. For each service:

• Overview and link
• Installation on Alpine
• Authentication and basic commands
• Common issues and troubleshooting

Top Recommendations for Alpine Linux

• pCloud – robust, official pcloudcc, C based
• MEGA – mature megacmd suite
• Proton Drive – community Python CLI
• Filen – Rust-based CLI
• Tresorit – via WebDAV amp rclone
• Icedrive – Go-based official CLI
• Sync.com – official v3 CLI binary
• Backblaze B2 – official b2 Python CLI

Comparison Table

Service	Link	CLI Tool	Free Tier	Encryption	Alpine Install	Notes
pCloud	pcloud.com	pcloudcc	10 GB	Client-side	Build from source	Needs glibc – use alpine-pkg-glibc
MEGA	mega.nz	megacmd	20 GB	End-to-end	apk/community or build	Requires openssl and libuv
Proton Drive	proton.me/drive	proton-drive-cli	1 GB	End-to-end	pip	OAuth in browser for headless
Filen	filen.io	filen-cli	10 GB	Client-side	cargo	Requires Rust toolchain
Tresorit	tresorit.com	rclone (WebDAV)	3 GB	End-to-end	rclone from source	Use WebDAV endpoint
Icedrive	icedrive.net	icedrive-cli	10 GB	Client-side	apk or binary	Official Go binary
Sync.com	sync.com	sync	5 GB	End-to-end	Binary download	v3 CLI
Backblaze B2	backblaze.com/b2	b2	10 GB	Server-side	pip	Minimal deps

1. pCloud CLI (pcloudcc)

pCloud’s official client pcloudcc is written in C and offers syncing, mounts and streaming.

Installation

apk add build-base cmake libcurl-dev libssl1.1-dev git
git clone https://github.com/pcloudcom/console-client.git
cd console-client
mkdir build  cd build
cmake .. 
make
make install

Configuration amp Usage

pcloudcc --username user@example.com --password YourPCloudPass
# List files
pcloudcc --list
# Sync a folder
pcloudcc --sync localdir remotefolder

Common Issues

• Binary requires glibc. Install alpine-pkg-glibc or use gcompat.
• Build errors with musl – ensure OpenSSL dev matches version.

2. MEGA CLI (megacmd)

MEGA’s megacmd offers a full shell, HTTP API, and sync daemon.

Installation

apk add openssl-dev libuv-dev build-base git
git clone https://github.com/meganz/MEGAcmd.git
cd MEGAcmd
./autogen.sh  ./configure --disable-gui --prefix=/usr
make  make install

Basic Commands

mega-login user@example.com
mega-password YourMEGAPass
mega-ls /
mega-put myfile.txt /root
mega-get /root/myfile.txt .

Common Issues

• “undefined reference” errors – verify libuv and openssl versions.
• Sync daemon needs proper config in ~/.megaCmd/megaCmdConfiguration.json.

3. Proton Drive CLI (proton-drive-cli)

Unofficial Python CLI for Proton Drive.

Installation

apk add python3 py3-pip
pip3 install proton-drive-cli

Use

proton-drive-cli login
proton-drive-cli ls
proton-drive-cli upload myfile.txt /My Drive/
proton-drive-cli download My Drive/myfile.txt .

Common Issues

• OAuth may open browser – use --no-browser and copy-paste URL.
• Token renewals – keep .proton_drive_token.json safe.

4. Filen CLI (filen-cli)

Filen’s Rust-based CLI offering end-to-end encryption operations.

Installation

apk add rust cargo
cargo install filen-cli

Usage

filen-cli login
filen-cli upload ./docs secret/docs
filen-cli list secret/docs
filen-cli download secret/docs/report.pdf .

Common Issues

• Rust toolchain must be up to date update with rustup update.

5. Tresorit via WebDAV amp rclone

Tresorit does not ship an official Alpine CLI, but exposes WebDAV. Use rclone.

Installation

apk add go git
go install github.com/rclone/rclone@latest
export PATH=PATH:~/.go/bin

Configure

rclone config
# Add new remote:
# type = webdav
# url = https://webdav.tresorit.com
# vendor = other
# user/pass = your Tresorit creds

Usage

rclone ls tresorit:
rclone copy localdir tresorit:Backup

Common Issues

• “401 Unauthorized” – enable WebDAV in Tresorit settings and regenerate password.

6. Icedrive CLI (icedrive-cli)

Official Go binary for Icedrive.

Installation

apk add curl
curl -sL https://github.com/Icedrive/icedrive-cli/releases/latest/download/icedrive-linux  tar xz -C /usr/local/bin
chmod  x /usr/local/bin/icedrive

Commands

icedrive login
icedrive ls /
icedrive upload file.txt /Documents
icedrive download /Documents/file.txt .

Common Issues

• Token expiration – re-run icedrive login.

7. Sync.com CLI

Official sync CLI v3 binary.

Installation

curl -sL https://install.sync.com/cli/v3/linux/sync -o /usr/local/bin/sync
chmod  x /usr/local/bin/sync

Basic Use

sync login
sync upload ./photos /Photos
sync download /Photos/vacation.zip .

Common Issues

• Ensure network connectivity CLI errors on proxies.

8. Backblaze B2 CLI (b2)

Official Python CLI for B2 object storage.

Installation

apk add python3 py3-pip
pip3 install b2

Usage

b2 authorize-account ACCOUNT_ID APPLICATION_KEY
b2 create-bucket mybucket allPublic
b2 upload-file mybucket localfile.txt remote.txt
b2 ls mybucket

Common Issues

• “b2 command not found” – ensure ~/.local/bin is in PATH.
• Bucket quotas – check B2 web console for limits.

Which One to Choose?

• If you need large free space client-side encryption: pCloud or Icedrive.
• For maximum free tier and E2E: MEGA or Proton Drive.
• Enterprise-grade E2E and compliance: Tresorit.
• Object storage or scripting: Backblaze B2 with b2 or rclone.
• Privacy-first with native CLI: Filen or Sync.com.

Each tool has its quirks under Alpine’s musl environment—pay close attention to dependencies like glibc wrappers, OpenSSL versions, and Python path issues. With the right setup, you can leverage powerful CLI-driven workflows on Alpine Linux seamlessly.

Happy syncing!