Best cloud storage services with CLI for Photon OS: (Comparison)

Introduction

Photon OS is a minimal, container-optimized Linux distribution by VMware. When running on Photon OS, you often require reliable cloud storage with a robust command-line interface (CLI). This article reviews the best cloud storage providers with CLI support for Photon OS, comparing key features, installation methods, usage examples and common issues. We cover six popular services—pCloud, MEGA, Proton Drive, Filen, Tresorit, Icedrive—plus two additional recommendations: Dropbox and rclone.

Selection Criteria

• Native CLI availability or strong community CLI
• Encryption (at-rest and in-transit)
• Free tier and pricing
• Ease of installation on Photon OS (tdnf/static binaries)
• Performance and reliability

Top Recommendations

• pCloud – 10 GB free, optional client-side encryption
• MEGA – 20 GB free, end-to-end encryption
• Proton Drive – 1 GB free, zero-knowledge encryption
• Filen – 3 GB free, EU-based encrypted storage
• Tresorit – 3 GB free, high-security Swiss storage
• Icedrive – 10 GB free, twofish encryption
• Dropbox – 2 GB free, official Linux CLI
• rclone – universal CLI for dozens of providers

Comparison Table

Which One to Choose?

• If you need generous free storage and easy CLI, choose MEGA or pCloud.
• For strongest privacy with zero-knowledge, Proton Drive or Tresorit.
• For universal multi-cloud access, use rclone.
• For simple corporate integration, consider Dropbox or Icedrive.

Installation Usage on Photon OS

1. pCloud CLI

Download the official CLI, authenticate and mount:

# Download and extract
wget https://download.pcloud.com/cli/pcloudcc-linux-64bit.tar.bz2
tar xvjf pcloudcc-linux-64bit.tar.bz2
sudo mv pcloudcc /usr/local/bin/

# Authenticate
pcloudcc -u you@example.com -p YourPassword 

# Mount your drive (requires fuse)
mkdir -p ~/pcloud
pcloudcc --mountpoint ~/pcloud

2. MEGA CMD

Install via static binary, login and use commands:

# Install MEGA CMD
tdnf install -y wget fuse
wget https://mega.nz/linux/MEGAsync/xUbuntu_20.04/amd64/megacmd-xUbuntu_20.04_amd64.deb
tdnf install -y ./megacmd-xUbuntu_20.04_amd64.deb

# Login
mega-login you@example.com YourPassword

# List, upload, download
mega-ls /
mega-put file.txt /remoteFolder/
mega-get /remoteFolder/file.txt .

3. Proton Drive (Unofficial CLI)

Use the community tool protondrive-cli:

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/arpitbbhayani/proton-drive-cli.git
cd proton-drive-cli
pip3 install --user .

# Login  sync
protondrive login
protondrive sync ~/localFolder /ProtonDrive/remoteFolder

4. Filen CLI

# Download AppImage
wget https://files.filen.io/cli/Filen.AppImage
chmod  x Filen.AppImage
sudo mv Filen.AppImage /usr/local/bin/filen

# Authenticate
filen login

# Upload  download
filen upload myfile.txt /my/remote/path/
filen download /my/remote/path/myfile.txt .

5. Tresorit CLI (Preview)

# Download tarball
wget https://dl.tresorit.com/cli/linux/tresorit-cli.tar.gz
tar xzf tresorit-cli.tar.gz
sudo mv tresorit-cli /usr/local/bin/

# Init  login
tresorit-cli init
tresorit-cli login

# Sync folders
tresorit-cli sync ~/Docs Tresorit/Docs

6. Icedrive CLI

# Download binary
wget https://cdn.icedrive.net/cli/icedrive_linux_x64
chmod  x icedrive_linux_x64
sudo mv icedrive_linux_x64 /usr/local/bin/icedrive

# Login  mount
icedrive login you@example.com YourPassword
icedrive mount ~/icedrive

7. Dropbox CLI

# Install Dropbox daemon
tdnf install -y wget python3
wget -O dropbox.tar.gz https://www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86_64
tar xzf dropbox.tar.gz -C ~/
~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd 

# Use CLI commands
~/.dropbox-dist/dropbox.py status
~/.dropbox-dist/dropbox.py start

8. rclone (Universal)

Rclone supports all above and dozens more. Configure once, use anywhere:

# Install
curl https://rclone.org/install.sh  sudo bash

# Configure a new remote
rclone config

# List files on pCloud
rclone ls pcloud:/

# Sync local to MEGA
rclone sync ~/data mega:/Backup

Typical Problems Troubleshooting

• Authentication errors: ensure time is synced on Photon OS (use tdnf install -y ntp).
• FUSE mount failures: install kernel modules or use --no-gui flags and run as root.
• Permission denied: check ownership of mount directory and set chmod appropriately.
• SSL errors: update CA certificates via tdnf install ca-certificates.
• Rate limits: reduce parallel transfers or add --bwlimit when using rclone or MEGA.

Conclusion

Photon OS users have multiple choices for CLI-driven cloud storage. For out-of-the-box CLI tools, pCloud and MEGA stand out. For security-focused operations, Proton Drive, Tresorit and Icedrive excel. When flexibility and multi-cloud management are paramount, rclone is unbeatable. Evaluate free tiers, encryption, performance and ecosystem integration to select the best fit for your Photon OS environment.