Best cloud storage services with CLI for DietPi: (Comparison)

Introduction

DietPi is a lightweight, highly optimized Debian-based distribution designed for SBCs and low-power servers. Its minimal overhead makes it ideal for headless or embedded uses. In this article we review the best cloud storage providers offering CLI tools (official or third-party) on DietPi. You’ll find a concise comparison, installation and usage examples, as well as common troubleshooting tips.

Comparison Table

Provider	Free Tier	CLI Tool	Encryption	Pricing	Link
pCloud	10 GB	pcloudcc, rclone	Client-side optional	€4.99/m (500 GB)	pCloud
MEGA	20 GB ( achievements)	megacmd	End-to-end	€4.99/m (400 GB)	MEGA
Proton Drive	1 GB	rclone	End-to-end	€5.00/m (200 GB)	Proton Drive
Filen	10 GB	rclone (WebDAV)	End-to-end	8/m (500 GB)	Filen
Tresorit	3 GB	rclone (API)	End-to-end	€12.50/m (500 GB)	Tresorit
Icedrive	10 GB	icedrive-cli, rclone	Client-side optional	€4.99/m (150 GB)	Icedrive
Amazon S3	5 GB (Free Tier)	AWS CLI	Server- or client-side	0.023/GB-mo	Amazon S3
Rclone (multi)	Dep. on provider	rclone	Dep. on provider (AES)	Free (OSS)	Rclone

Which One to Choose?

Your decision depends on budget, security requirements, storage size and CLI flexibility. MEGA and Proton Drive (via rclone) excel at end-to-end encryption. pCloud and Icedrive offer official CLIs plus optional client-side encryption. Tresorit and Filen target enterprise-grade security. Amazon S3 is ideal for scalable, pay-as-you-go usage. Rclone unifies multiple services under one tool.

Getting Started with CLI on DietPi

1. pCloud

Official CLI (pcloudcc):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pcloudcc
pcloudcc --username you@example.com --password yourpassword --mountpoint /mnt/pcloud

Via rclone:

sudo apt install rclone
rclone config              # choose pcloud
rclone ls pcloud:
rclone sync ~/data pcloud:/backup

Typical issues: mount permission errors (add your user to fuse group), two-factor auth (use app passwords).

2. MEGA (megacmd)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install megacmd
mega-login you@example.com yourpassword
mega-ls
mega-mkdir backup
mega-put ~/data backup
mega-sync /home/dietpi/data /MEGA/backup

Troubleshooting: for Debian conflicts, use MEGA’s official repo (Debian 11). Enable FUSE kernel module for mounts.

3. Proton Drive (via Rclone)

sudo apt install rclone
rclone config
# create remote protondrive, choose Proton Drive backend, follow OAuth steps
rclone ls protondrive:
rclone copy ~/data protondrive:/Backup

Problems: OAuth token expiration (refresh via rclone config), limited free space.

4. Filen (WebDAV with Rclone)

sudo apt install rclone
rclone config
# select webdav, URL=https://dav.filen.io/, vendor=Nextcloud, set credentials
rclone ls filen:
rclone sync ~/data filen:/myfolder

Issues: WebDAV speed caps, timeouts (use --timeout 1m, --transfers 1).

5. Tresorit (via Rclone)

sudo apt install rclone
rclone config
# choose tresorit, enter API key/secret from Tresorit console
rclone ls tresorit:
rclone copy ~/data tresorit:/SecureBackup

Problems: API rate limits (use --bwlimit, monitor with --stats), rotate keys periodically.

6. Icedrive

Official CLI:

# Download from GitHub releases
wget https://github.com/Icedrive-app/icedrive-cli/releases/download/v1.0.0/icedrive_linux_amd64.tar.gz
tar zxvf icedrive_linux_amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv icedrive /usr/local/bin/
icedrive login yourtoken_or_password
icedrive mount /mnt/icedrive
icedrive upload ~/data /remote/path

Or via rclone:

rclone config       # select icedrive backend
rclone ls icedrive:
rclone sync ~/data icedrive:/Backup

Watch FUSE support and correct mount flags.

7. Amazon S3 (AWS CLI)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install awscli
aws configure       # enter AWS Access Key, Secret, region, output
aws s3 ls
aws s3 sync ~/data s3://your-bucket/backup

Issues: ensure credentials file is mode 600, region mismatches, network timeouts (use --no-verify-ssl for dev endpoints).

8. Rclone Multi-Provider

sudo apt install rclone
rclone config       # pick any supported provider or use crypt
rclone ls remote:
rclone sync ~/data remote:Backup

Advantages: single CLI for all services. Gotchas: backend-specific flags, token refresh, tuning (–transfers, –checkers).

Troubleshooting Tips

Permissions: add your user to fuse group or use sudo for mount operations.
Network: increase timeouts in unstable connections (--timeout 1m --contimeout 30s).
Authentication: use app-specific passwords for two-factor accounts refresh OAuth tokens manually.
Rate limits: apply --bwlimit or --max-backlog to avoid API throttling.
Logs: enable verbose or log to file (-vv --log-file /var/log/cloudsync.log).

Conclusion

DietPi’s minimal footprint pairs perfectly with CLI-driven cloud storage. MEGA and Proton Drive via rclone are top for strong encryption pCloud and Icedrive for ease of use with official CLIs Tresorit and Filen for enterprise demands Amazon S3 for scale and Rclone for unified control. Evaluate free tiers, test mounts and sync scripts, and automate via cron or systemd for reliable backups.