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

Introduction

Porteus is a lightweight, portable Linux distribution prized for its modularity and speed. For users who need reliable cloud storage access directly from the terminal, choosing a service with a robust Command-Line Interface (CLI) is essential. This article reviews the best cloud storage providers offering CLI support on Porteus, compares their features, and provides step-by-step examples of installation and usage along with common troubleshooting tips.

Top Cloud Storage Services with CLI for Porteus

pCloud

pCloud offers secure, lifetime storage plans and a cross-platform CLI client. It features zero-knowledge encryption as an add-on, file versioning, and remote upload capabilities.

Official Website: https://www.pcloud.com/

CLI Documentation: pCloud Console Client

MEGA

MEGA provides 20 GB free storage with end-to-end encryption. The MEGAcmd tool allows full control over your account directly from the shell.

Official Website: https://mega.nz/

CLI Documentation: MEGAcmd

Proton Drive

Proton Drive delivers privacy-focused cloud storage under the ProtonMail ecosystem. The CLI is still in beta, but supports basic upload/download operations.

Official Website: https://proton.me/drive

CLI Documentation: proton-cli

Filen

Filen combines user-friendly features with Zero-Knowledge Encryption and a CLI utility for headless environments.

Official Website: https://filen.io/

CLI Documentation: filen-cli

Tresorit

Tresorit specializes in enterprise-grade security, zero-knowledge encryption, and a dedicated CLI for automation.

Official Website: https://tresorit.com/

CLI Documentation: Tresorit CLI

Icedrive

Icedrive offers a modern UI, Twofish encryption, and an easy-to-use CLI client.

Official Website: https://icedrive.net/

CLI Documentation: Icedrive CLI

Nextcloud via rclone

While not a hosted provider, Nextcloud instances can be accessed via rclone. This provides maximum flexibility and self-hosting capability.

Official Website: https://nextcloud.com/

rclone Documentation: rclone Nextcloud Guide

Comparison Table

Service	Free Storage	Encryption	Official CLI	Link
pCloud	10 GB	Zero-knowledge (add-on)	Yes	Website
MEGA	20 GB	End-to-end	Yes	Website
Proton Drive	1 GB	End-to-end	Beta	Website
Filen	15 GB	Zero-knowledge	Yes	Website
Tresorit	3 GB	Zero-knowledge	Yes	Website
Icedrive	10 GB	Twofish	Yes	Website
Nextcloud (rclone)	Varies by host	User-chosen	Yes (rclone)	Website

Which One to Choose?

Best for privacy: Tresorit or Filen for strict zero-knowledge encryption.
Generous free tier: MEGA (20 GB) or Filen (15 GB).
Lifetime plans: pCloud and Icedrive.
Self-hosting: Nextcloud with rclone.
Seamless integration: pCloud for remote upload, Proton Drive for ProtonMail users.

How to Use Each Service with CLI on Porteus

1. pCloud Console Client

Install dependencies and build:

wget https://github.com/pcloudcom/console-client/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
unzip master.zip  cd console-client-master
./configure  make
sudo make install

pcloudcc -u your@email.com -p yourpassword
pcloudcc --sync /local/folder /remote/folder

2. MEGAcmd

Install via AppImage:

wget https://github.com/meganz/MEGAcmd/releases/download/v1.6.0/megacmd-xUbuntu_20.04_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install ./megacmd-.deb

mega-login your@email.com yourpassword
mega-mkdir /Root/backup
mega-put localfile.txt /Root/backup
mega-get /Root/backup/localfile.txt .

3. proton-cli

Build from source:

git clone https://github.com/ProtonMail/proton-cli.git
cd proton-cli  npm install
# Ensure Node.js is installed on Porteus

Authenticate and use:

proton login
proton drive upload --path /remote/file.txt localfile.txt
proton drive download --path /remote/file.txt localfile.txt

4. filen-cli

git clone https://github.com/filenclient/filen-cli.git
cd filen-cli  go build
sudo mv filen /usr/local/bin

filen login
filen upload localdir/ /Filen/backup/
filen download /Filen/backup/ localdir/

5. Tresorit CLI

Download and install the Debian package:

wget https://download.tresorit.com/products/cli/tresorit-cli_2.1.0_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i tresorit-cli_.deb

Initialize and sync:

tresorit-cli login
tresorit-cli sync --local /home/user/folder --remote /Tresorit/Folder

6. Icedrive CLI

git clone https://github.com/Icedrive/cli.git
cd cli  chmod  x icedrive
sudo mv icedrive /usr/local/bin

icedrive login
icedrive upload localfile.txt /MyDrive/Docs/
icedrive download /MyDrive/Docs/localfile.txt .

7. Nextcloud via rclone

wget https://downloads.rclone.org/rclone-current-linux-amd64.zip
unzip rclone--linux-amd64.zip
sudo cp rclone--linux-amd64/rclone /usr/local/bin/
rclone config
# Choose WebDAV or Nextcloud driver and enter credentials

rclone copy remote:Documents/ localfolder/
rclone sync localfolder/ remote:Backup/

Typical Problems and Troubleshooting

Dependency issues: Ensure you have gcc, make, wget, unzip, and language runtimes (Go, Node, Python) installed in Porteus.
Solution: Use remaster-tce or porteus-installer to include missing packages.
Authentication failures: Double-check your credentials and two-factor authentication settings. Some CLIs require app-specific passwords.
Rate limits or API errors: Cloud providers can throttle requests. Use --limit-rate flags if available or batch your uploads.
Permission denied: If CLI cannot write to system folders, run with sudo or adjust directory ownership.
Mounting issues: Some CLIs offer a FUSE mount (e.g., pCloud, Icedrive). Ensure fuse is loaded: modprobe fuse.

Conclusion

Each service offers unique advantages. For maximum free space, MEGA and Filen excel. For ironclad privacy, Tresorit and Filen lead. Porteus users will appreciate pCloud and Icedrive’s lifetime plans, while self-hosters can rely on Nextcloud with rclone for full control. By following the examples above, you can install, configure, and troubleshoot any of these CLIs on your Porteus system and integrate cloud storage seamlessly into your workflows.