Best cloud storage services with CLI for Puppy Linux: (Tutorial)

Introduction

Puppy Linux is a lightweight, user-friendly distribution beloved by enthusiasts of minimalism and performance. When you need to back up data or collaborate across devices, cloud storage with a command-line interface (CLI) becomes invaluable. This article presents the top cloud storage providers that offer Linux CLI tools compatible with Puppy Linux. We compare features, suggest which to choose based on your needs, and show you how to set up and use each service via the terminal, along with troubleshooting tips.

Top Recommended Cloud Storage Providers for Puppy Linux

• pCloud
• MEGA
• Proton Drive
• Filen
• Tresorit
• Icedrive
• Dropbox (via rclone or official script)
• Google Drive (via rclone or gdrive)

Comparison Table

Service	Link	Free Tier	CLI Tool	Encryption	Pricing Starts
pCloud	pcloud.com	10 GB	pcloudcmd / pcloudcc	At rest optional client-side (Crypto)	€4.99/mo (500 GB)
MEGA	mega.nz	20 GB	megacmd	End-to-end	4.99/mo (400 GB)
Proton Drive	proton.me/drive	1 GB	proton-drive-cli	End-to-end	€3.99/mo (200 GB)
Filen	filen.io	3 GB	rclone (Filen backend)	End-to-end	3.49/mo (100 GB)
Tresorit	tresorit.com	— (trial)	rclone (Tresorit backend)	End-to-end	12.50/mo (200 GB)
Icedrive	icedrive.net	10 GB	icedrive-cli	At rest optional client-side	1.67/mo (150 GB)
Dropbox	dropbox.com	2 GB	dropbox.py / rclone	At rest	11.99/mo (2 TB)
Google Drive	google.com/drive	15 GB	gdrive / rclone	At rest	1.99/mo (100 GB)

Which One to Choose?

Your choice depends on priorities:

• Maximum free storage: MEGA (20 GB) or Icedrive (10 GB).
• Strong privacy/E2E encryption: MEGA, Proton Drive, Tresorit, Filen.
• Easy CLI sync: pCloud and MEGA have dedicated official tools.
• Budget lifetime deals: pCloud offers lifetime licenses.
• Rclone enthusiasts: Filen, Tresorit, Dropbox, Google Drive all integrate smoothly.

Using Each Service with CLI on Puppy Linux

1. pCloud

Official CLI tools: pcloudcmd (sync/upload/download) and pcloudcc (mount or daemon).

Installation:

wget https://download.pcloud.com/pcloudcmd.tar.gz
tar -xzf pcloudcmd.tar.gz
cd pcloudcmd
./configure
make
sudo make install

Usage examples:

# Login once (interactive)
pcloudcc --login

# Upload a file
pcloudcc --upload /path/to/local/file.txt /Remote/Folder/

# Sync a local folder to pCloud
pcloudcmd sync /local/folder /Remote/Folder

Typical problems:

• Missing dependencies: install libcurl4-openssl-dev, libglib2.0-dev.
• Auth failures: delete ~/.config/pcloudcc and re-login.

2. MEGA

CLI: megacmd offers commands like mega-login, mega-put, mega-sync.

Installation (Debian/Ubuntu works on Puppy if dpkg is available):

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install megacmd

Basic usage:

mega-login your@email.com
mega-mkdir /Backup
mega-put localfile.txt /Backup/
mega-sync /local/folder /Remote/Folder

Typical problems:

• 2FA: use --auth flag or generate app password.
• Rate limits: avoid mass operations split uploads into batches.

3. Proton Drive

Unofficial CLI: proton-drive-cli (community maintained).

Installation (requires Python 3):

sudo apt-get install python3-pip
pip3 install proton-drive-cli

Usage:

# Initialize and login
proton-drive-cli login

# List files
proton-drive-cli list

# Upload
proton-drive-cli upload localfile.txt remote_path/

Typical problems:

• API changes: keep proton-drive-cli updated.
• Timeouts: increase --timeout if network is slow.

4. Filen (via rclone)

Filen offers an rclone backend. Ensure you have rclone installed.

Installation of rclone:

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

Configure Filen remote:

rclone config
# n) New remote
name> filen
Storage> Filen
# Leave client_id/secret blank unless you have your own

Usage:

# List
rclone ls filen:

# Copy local→cloud
rclone copy /local/folder filen:Backup -P

Typical problems:

• “invalid grant” errors: regenerate tokens by re-running rclone config.

5. Tresorit (via rclone)

Tresorit integration is unofficial but works via rclone.

Configure remote:

rclone config
# n) New remote
name> tresorit
Storage> tresorit
client_id> (from Azure App if desired)
client_secret>

Usage:

rclone sync /local/folder tresorit:foldername

Typical problems:

• “unsupported storage type”: ensure you have rclone v1.55 .

6. Icedrive

Official CLI: icedrive-cli.

Installation:

wget -qO icedrive https://github.com/IcedriveApp/icedrive-cli/releases/latest/download/icedrive-linux-x86_64
chmod  x icedrive
sudo mv icedrive /usr/local/bin/

Usage:

icedrive auth  # Follow the URL to authorize
icedrive ls /
icedrive upload localfile.txt /Uploads/

Typical problems:

• Beta features: some commands may change—keep your CLI updated.

7. Dropbox (official script or rclone)

Option A: official Python script (dropbox.py).

wget -O dropbox.py https://www.dropbox.com/download?dl=packages/dropbox.py
chmod  x dropbox.py
./dropbox.py start -i
./dropbox.py status

Option B: rclone:

rclone config
# storage> dropbox
# follow URL, paste token
rclone sync /local/path dropbox:Backup

Typical problems:

• “app key invalid”: ensure you use official Dropbox API.
• Sync loops: exclude system folders.

8. Google Drive (gdrive or rclone)

Option A: gdrive by pragmasoft.

wget -O gdrive https://github.com/prasmussen/gdrive/releases/download/2.1.0/gdrive-linux-x64
chmod  x gdrive
sudo mv gdrive /usr/local/bin/
gdrive about

Option B: rclone:

rclone config
# storage> drive
# follow OAuth flow
rclone copy /local/path drive:Backup -P

Typical problems:

• Rate limit errors: add --tpslimit 10 to rclone commands.
• API quotas: monitor in Google Cloud Console.

Conclusion

Each cloud provider brings unique strengths: pCloud’s lifetime deals, MEGA’s generous free tier and encryption, Proton Drive’s privacy focus, or the flexibility of rclone with Filen and Tresorit. For Puppy Linux users, dedicated tools like pcloudcmd, megacmd, and icedrive-cli deliver seamless, low-overhead sync. Rclone remains the universal connector for many others. Choose based on storage needs, budget, and desired security model, then follow the CLI setup guides above to integrate cloud storage into your lightweight Puppy Linux environment.