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

Best Cloud Storage Solutions with CLI for PureOS

PureOS, a privacy-focused Debian derivative, offers a secure environment for many cloud storage clients. Command-line interfaces (CLI) are especially useful for automation, scripts and headless servers. This article provides a detailed overview of top cloud storage providers with native or third-party CLI support on PureOS. We compare features, recommend the best options, explain how to install and use each CLI, and troubleshoot common issues.

Top Recommendations

• pCloud – Encrypted virtual drive and native CLI.
• MEGA – Generous free tier and official CLI.
• Proton Drive – End-to-end encryption, CLI via rclone.
• Filen – Privacy by design, native CLI.
• Tresorit – Zero-knowledge encryption, official CLI.
• Icedrive – Fast WebDAV / CLI client.
• Nextcloud – Self-hosted, occ and rclone support.
• Dropbox – Popular service, unofficial CLI.

Comparison Table

Which One to Choose?

• Privacy-centric: Proton Drive, Filen or Tresorit.
• Best free tier: MEGA (20 GB).
• Budget storage: pCloud, Icedrive or self-hosted Nextcloud.
• Enterprise / collaboration: Nextcloud or Tresorit.

CLI Installation Usage

1. pCloud (pcloudcc)

• Repository and binary available at pCloud CLI.
• Install on PureOS:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install wget unzip
wget https://downloads.pcloud.com/linux/pcloudcc.tar.gz
tar -xzf pcloudcc.tar.gz
sudo mv pcloudcc /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod  x /usr/local/bin/pcloudcc

• Authenticate and mount:

pcloudcc -u youremail@example.com -p YourPassword
pcloudcc -m ~/pcloud

2. MEGA (megacmd)

• Official CLI at mega.nz/cmd.
• Install:

wget https://mega.nz/linux/MEGAsync/xUbuntu_22.04/amd64/megacmd_1.6.0-1.1_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./megacmd_1.6.0-1.1_amd64.deb
mega-login youremail@example.com YourPassword

• Basic commands:

mega-ls                   # list files
mega-put localfile /Root  # upload
mega-get /Root/file .     # download

3. Proton Drive (via rclone)

• Use rclone to connect to Proton Drive.
• Install rclone:

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

• Configure:

rclone config
# choose n for new remote, name it proton
# select 16 Proton Drive driver
# follow prompts: client_id, secret, open link to authenticate

• Usage:

rclone ls proton:
rclone copy myfolder proton:BackupFolder

4. Filen (filen-cli)

• Download from filen.io/cli.

wget https://filen.io/downloads/filen-cli-linux
chmod  x filen-cli-linux
sudo mv filen-cli-linux /usr/local/bin/filen
filen login youremail@example.com YourPassword

• Upload sync:

filen upload localfile.txt /Remote/Folder/
filen sync /Local/Folder/ /Remote/SyncFolder/

5. Tresorit (t3-cli)

• Official CLI available at t3-cli.

sudo apt install git golang-go
git clone https://github.com/tresorit/t3-cli.git
cd t3-cli
go build -o t3
sudo mv t3 /usr/local/bin/
t3 login

• Basic usage:

t3 ls
t3 upload localfile /folder/
t3 download /folder/file.txt ./file.txt

6. Icedrive (icedrive)

• Get CLI from icedrive.net.

wget https://icedrive-resources.s3.amazonaws.com/downloads/cli/icedrive-cli-linux.zip
unzip icedrive-cli-linux.zip
sudo mv icedrive /usr/local/bin/
icedrive login youremail@example.com

• Usage:

icedrive ls
icedrive upload local.txt /Backup/
icedrive download /Backup/local.txt .

7. Nextcloud (occ rclone)

• If self-hosting, install nextcloud-server and php7.4-cli.
• Use occ for admin tasks:

sudo -u www-data php /var/www/nextcloud/occ user:add alice
sudo -u www-data php /var/www/nextcloud/occ files:scan --all

• Mount with rclone:

rclone config     # add WebDAV remote pointing at Nextcloud
rclone mount nextcloud: ~/nc_mount --daemon

8. Dropbox (dropbox-cli unofficial)

• Use third-party scripts from GitHub, e.g. Dropbox-Uploader.

git clone https://github.com/andreafabrizi/Dropbox-Uploader.git
cd Dropbox-Uploader
chmod  x dropbox_uploader.sh
./dropbox_uploader.sh
# follow prompts to get access token

• Commands:

./dropbox_uploader.sh list /
./dropbox_uploader.sh upload file.txt /

Common Problems Troubleshooting

• Authentication errors: Ensure correct credentials, update to latest CLI version, check two-factor prompts.
• Mount failures: Install fuse package, add user to fuse group, enable FUSE in kernel.
• Slow transfers: Check network MTU, use parallel uploads (rclone has --transfers).
• Missing dependencies: Read each project’s README, install language runtimes (Go, Python).
• Rate limits: Free tiers often throttle upgrade plan or add delays in scripts.

Conclusion

When choosing a CLI-enabled cloud storage on PureOS, consider privacy, budget and required features. pCloud and MEGA excel for ease of use and free tiers, while Proton Drive, Filen and Tresorit offer strong encryption. Nextcloud is ideal for self-hosting and total control. Use the comparison table and installation guides above to integrate the perfect solution into your workflows.