Best cloud storage services with CLI for Pop!_OS: (Tutorial)

Introduction

When working on Pop!_OS (or any Linux distribution), having reliable cloud storage with a full-featured command-line interface (CLI) can dramatically streamline workflows, automate backups, and integrate with shell scripts. In this article we explore top cloud-storage providers offering official or de-facto CLI tools, compare their features, and demonstrate installation and common usage on Pop!_OS. We cover:

• pCloud
• MEGA
• Proton Drive
• Filen
• Tresorit
• Icedrive
• Additional tools: rclone (multi-backend), Dropbox CLI

Top Recommendations for Pop!_OS

• pCloud – Mature encryption, easy mount via FUSE, official pcloudcc and pcloudcmd.
• MEGA – Generous free tier, end-to-end encryption, mega-cmd daemon and shell.
• Proton Drive – Zero-knowledge encryption, actively developed CLI.
• rclone (multi-backend) – Interface to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, S3, etc., excellent scripting support.

Comparison Table

Provider Details and CLI Usage

pCloud

pCloud offers two CLI tools: pcloudcc (mount with FUSE) and pcloudcmd (synchronization). Installation on Pop!_OS:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pcloudcc pcloudcmd

Authenticate and mount:

pcloudcc -u youremail@example.com -p yourpassword --mountpoint ~/pcloud

Sync a folder:

pcloudcmd sync ~/projects /Cloud/projects

Typical issues:

• FUSE permissions: ensure your user is in the fuse group.
• Large file uploads may need --parallel tuning.

MEGA

The mega-cmd suite provides an interactive shell and daemon. Install:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install megacmd

Login and basic commands:

mega-login youremail@example.com yourpassword
mega-mkdir /Root/backups
mega-put ~/backup.tar.gz /Root/backups
mega-ls /Root

Common problems:

• Rate limits on free accounts—consider retry flags.
• Huge directories may time out break into sub-folders.

Proton Drive

Proton’s CLI is in active development available via npm or as a standalone binary:

# Via npm (requires Node.js)
npm install --global @proton/cli
# Or download binary
curl -sSL https://proton.me/drive-cli-install  sh

Authenticate and upload:

proton-drive login
proton-drive upload ~/myfile.txt /MyDrive/myfile.txt
proton-drive list /MyDrive

Watch out for:

• Beta-stage feature flags—use --beta if needed.
• Large uploads: monitor via --progress.

Filen

Install the Python-based CLI:

pip3 install filen-cli
filen login

Upload and download:

filen upload ~/docs/report.pdf /reports
filen download /reports/report.pdf ~/downloads

Issues:

• Ensure pip3 dependencies are met (requests, urllib3).
• Token refresh—run filen login periodically.

Tresorit

Tresorit CLI is aimed at business use. Download the Debian package from their site:

wget https://download.tresorit.com/linux/tresorit-cli.deb
sudo dpkg -i tresorit-cli.deb
sudo apt -f install

Basic usage:

tresorit login
tresorit sync ~/private /TresoritKit/secure
tresorit list

Be aware:

• Enterprise accounts only personal plans lack CLI.
• Firewall/proxy may block TLS—configure https_proxy.

Icedrive

Icedrive’s official CLI can be downloaded as a binary:

curl -LO https://download.icedrive.net/linux/icedrive-linux.zip
unzip icedrive-linux.zip
sudo mv icedrive /usr/local/bin/
icedrive login

Uploading files:

icedrive upload ~/video.mp4 /Videos
icedrive list /

Notes:

• Mounting support is experimental prefer API calls.
• CLI prompts for interactive 2FA on some accounts.

rclone (Multi-Backend)

While not a provider, rclone supports dozens of backends (Google Drive, Dropbox, S3, etc.). Install:

curl https://rclone.org/install.sh  sudo bash
rclone config

Sample sync to Google Drive:

rclone sync ~/photos remote:Photos --progress
rclone ls remote:Photos

Pro tips:

• Use --transfers and --checkers for parallelism tuning.
• Mount with rclone mount and FUSE.

Which One to Choose?

• If you need seamless, official Linux support with FUSE-mounts and moderate pricing: pCloud.
• For the largest free tier and strong encryption: MEGA.
• When zero-knowledge is mandatory (privacy-first): Proton Drive or Tresorit (business).
• For multi-cloud workflows and scripting: rclone.
• If you prefer simplicity with encrypted API: Icedrive or Filen.

Common CLI Problems Solutions

• Authentication errors: Re-login or clear stale tokens (--force flags).
• FUSE mount failures: Add your user to fuse group check /etc/fuse.conf.
• Slow transfers: Enable parallel uploads/downloads with provided flags.
• Proxy/Firewall: Export HTTPS_PROXY and HTTP_PROXY env variables.
• Dependency conflicts: Use virtual environments or AppImages where available.

With this guide, you can confidently select and deploy the best cloud-storage CLI solution on Pop!_OS, automate workflows, and troubleshoot typical issues.