Best cloud storage services with CLI for Lubuntu: (Guide)

Introduction

Lubuntu is a lightweight Ubuntu derivative optimized for performance. Many users running Lubuntu on older hardware or virtual machines prefer command-line interfaces (CLI) for scripting, automation and low resource usage. This article explores the best cloud storage services offering official or community-driven CLI clients on Linux Lubuntu, compares their features, provides installation and usage examples, and highlights typical problems and workarounds.

Top Recommended Cloud Storage Services with CLI for Lubuntu

• pCloud
• MEGA
• Proton Drive
• Filen
• Tresorit
• Icedrive
• Dropbox
• Google Drive (via rclone)
• Nextcloud (self-hosted/WebDAV)

Comparison Table

Which One to Choose?

Selection depends on required free storage, security, ease of use and budget. For general purpose and speed pCloud and MEGA stand out. If you demand zero-knowledge encryption Proton Drive, Tresorit and Filen shine. Icedrive offers a balance of security and performance. For full integration with Google services use rclone. Dropbox remains a stable choice for basic use, while Nextcloud is ideal if you want a self-hosted private cloud.

Installing and Using Each Service via CLI

pCloud

Installation and basic usage:

# Download and install pcloudcc (64-bit)
wget https://downloads.pcloud.com/cli/pcloudcc_64bit.tar.gz
tar xzf pcloudcc_64bit.tar.gz
sudo mv pcloudcc /usr/local/bin/
# Authenticate
pcloudcc --auth
# Mount pCloud drive at ~/pcloud
mkdir -p ~/pcloud
pcloudcc --mountpoint ~/pcloud

Typical problems: FUSE not installed, permission denied. Install fuse and ensure user in fuse group.

MEGA

Use the official MEGAcmd package:

# Add MEGA repo and install
sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 6D6F5E1548706F7A
echo deb https://mega.nz/linux/MEGAsync/xUbuntu_(lsb_release -rs) ./ 
   sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mega.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install megacmd
# Login
mega-login your@email.com YourPassword
# Sync local to remote
mega-sync ~/Documents /Root/DocumentsBackup
# List remote
mega-ls

Common issue: “HTTP error 509” when bandwidth exceeded. Wait or purchase pro.

Proton Drive

CLI is in beta, installed via pip:

# Install
sudo apt install python3-pip
pip3 install proton-drive-cli
# Initialize and login
proton-drive login
# Upload a file
proton-drive upload ~/file.txt /Drive/folder/
# List files
proton-drive ls /Drive

Potential problem: 2FA flows in terminal may hang use proton-drive login –no-browser.

Filen

Filen provides a standalone JAR CLI:

# Download JAR
wget https://downloads.filen.com/cli/filen-cli.jar
# Launch and authenticate
java -jar filen-cli.jar init
java -jar filen-cli.jar login
# Upload
java -jar filen-cli.jar upload ~/test.txt /
# Download
java -jar filen-cli.jar download /test.txt ~/test.txt

Issues: Requires Java 11 , adjust heap settings if out of memory.

Tresorit

Official CLI (in public beta) requires npm:

sudo apt install nodejs npm
npm install -g tresorit-cli
# Login
tresorit login
# Sync a folder
tresorit sync create ~/localFolder TresorName/SubFolder

Watch for Electron dependencies install libgtk-3-0 if missing.

Icedrive

WebDAV plus official CLI:

# Install icedrive-cli
curl -s https://icedrive.net/download/linux/cli/install.sh  bash
# Authenticate
icedrive login
# Mount via WebDAV
sudo apt install davfs2
echo https://webdav.icedrive.net/remote.php/dav /mnt/icedrive davfs user,noauto 
   sudo tee -a /etc/fstab
mkdir -p /mnt/icedrive
mount /mnt/icedrive

WebDAV may be slow prefer CLI upload/download commands.

Dropbox

Install official CLI:

sudo apt install python3-gpg dropbox
# Start daemon
dropbox start -i
# Link account through browser, then
dropbox status
# CLI commands
dropbox filestatus ~/Dropbox/file.txt
dropbox sharelink ~/Dropbox/file.txt

Common pitfall: daemon auto-starts in GUI sessions only. Use dropbox start -i in headless mode.

Google Drive with rclone

rclone supports Google Drive and many backends:

# Install rclone
sudo apt install rclone
# Configure
rclone config
# (Follow prompts to add “drive” remote)
# List files
rclone ls drive:
# Sync local folder to drive
rclone sync ~/project drive:Backup/project

Be aware of Google API rate limits configure --drive-chunk-size and --bwlimit if needed.

Nextcloud via WebDAV

Mount Nextcloud storage locally:

sudo apt install davfs2
# Add credentials
echo https://cloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/youruser user password 
   sudo tee -a /etc/davfs2/secrets
# Mount point
mkdir -p ~/nextcloud
sudo mount -t davfs https://cloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/youruser ~/nextcloud

Issues: certificate errors—use sudo dpkg-reconfigure ca-certificates or mount with -o ssl_no_verify for testing only.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

• FUSE Permission Denied: add your user to the fuse group and reboot.
• 2FA / Browser Flow Fails: look for --no-browser or headless options, or obtain token manually.
• Bandwidth / Rate Limits: slow down with --bwlimit or upgrade plan.
• Dependency Errors: install missing libraries (libfuse2, libgnutls, libcurl).
• Stale Tokens: re-run authentication command periodically or configure auto-refresh if available.

Conclusion

For Lubuntu users who prefer lightweight, scriptable cloud storage, a variety of CLI tools are available. pCloud and MEGA offer the most polished experience, Proton Drive and Tresorit excel in security, while rclone unlocks countless backends including Google Drive. Evaluate your storage needs, security requirements and workflow to choose the best solution for your environment.